


ScapeGOAT

by KoyukiTan



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Family, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, M/M, Morality, Original Character(s), Revenge, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-05-26 00:36:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14988932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoyukiTan/pseuds/KoyukiTan
Summary: The sequel to “Peace Sign”, Koharu Ui, Ken Kaneki, Koori Ui, and the others return to start the next chapters of their lives and come to a better understanding of each other and themselves.After the fall of the CCG, the new organization, GOAT, takes its place to help reconcile the relationship between humans and ghouls. But with new young hearts comes new challenges to solve, Masanori Ui, Mizuki Tamaki and all their little friends from GOAT must learn how to over come their own obstacles in a changing world through work, play, friendship, and a little guidance when needed! However, with a dragon growing and preparing to one day take down the newly rebuilt society, will the easy acceptance of a child’s heart really be enough to keep the peace? Or will the world be brought back down to its knees?All seeds take time to grow into trees, and if it’s taken care of with love, and supported with dedication, it will bloom and bear the fruit of success.However, if a seedling is left in the storm for too long…it could end up withering in doubt.(Masanori Ui belongs to Hamliet BTW <3 Thank you for letting me use him again!)





	1. GOAT: Rebirth

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! It's great to be writing again after taking a break from my last fanfic.
> 
> I apologize now for the length of this chapter as there was lot's that needed to be covered before I can really jump into the the main stories. Starting with seeing which families will be the main focus of course. 
> 
> But with this new fic, there will be some changes in how and when I post. Unlike my last one, I won't be updating every week as I just don't have the time to sit down to write every night as I used to. These day's I'm very busy with art, work, and other little projects; it's just too difficult to juggle that many things at once so I'll only post when I manage to finish a chapter. But don't worry, I will be working on this as much as I can and will not leave this incomplete!  
> That being said, this fic will be working a little bit differently from the last one too in that it will be consisting of short stories instead of full-on chapters...It's hard to explain, but by the next update you'll see what I mean. 
> 
> (I actually had most of this finished already...but had some computer issues that ended up deleting all my desktop drafts so I'm pretty much starting from scratch again ;-; )
> 
> Thank you for coming to read my new fanfic! I hope you'll all enjoy the new characters that come along with it! <333

_When you’re born, it’s as if the world instantly labels you for what you are and what you’re going to become._ The heavy debt that it places on you’re shoulders is almost unbearable and often makes most individuals question their propose; or it drives them to fulfill what they believe is that destiny. 

Sometimes when they feel like they’ve run out of options, that you’ve been greeted and trapped by the twisted labyrinth of life and it’s obstacles, the easiest way to cope is to blame the world for your problems. 

The lack of acknowledgment, 

The lack freedom, 

The lack of knowledge, 

The lack friendships,

Or even simply the lack of love. 

But at the end of day, it’s that individual’s choice to choose which turn they take and which path they will follow, because they are in control of how their life will lead them. If they want any or all of those 5 things…they may have to seek them out. If one keeps an open mind as well as an open heart…it’s hard to close the door to new opportunities.

\--

At one time, ghoul’s found themselves limited to any opportunities themselves in a world that saw them as nothing but savage beasts. Ghouls hunted humans…but humans also killed ghouls in response; a vicious cycle that went on for what seemed like an eternity. But when the world needs heroes, they might sometimes seem to appear out of the unlikeliest of places… _with the unlikeliest of experiences._

It was hard to believe that not too long ago that ghouls were finally released from their hidden states and were starting to merge into society.  
While some people still struggled with seeing ghouls as being individuals, they were finally permitted to work along side humans in most jobs and the children were beginning to be enrolled in schools! It was a slow but growing accomplishment for _GOAT_ , the organization behind the revolution!  
King Kaneki and his friends have been working hard for the past few years ever since the CCG had been annihilated – with _GOAT_ taking it’s place and setting down new laws for the melding of a ghoul/human society.  
Ghoul’s had to obey the rules of what they could eat – either food that they had been given or found abandoned - as hunting was now strictly prohibited. Of course, this hasn’t come without its challenges and rebels of both groups alike. There were still many human-run businesses that would not allow ghouls anywhere near their establishments and ghouls who did not like the idea of working with the humans and broke the hunting law. This forces _GOAT_ to take serious measures when these laws are broken; punishment is reserved until an inspection and handling takes place.  
Though as time has passed, this occurrence of rebellious ghouls has started to decrease and Tokyo was finally starting to seem more secure, allowing both sides to rest easy for a while.  
But those are just the minor issues compared to the drastic problem that has left all of _GOAT_ scratching their heads… _where is Furuta?_  
The former bureau had gone missing at the end of the CCG’s final battle and he hasn’t made a peep since; this leaving everyone lost and on edge. King Kaneki knew that Furuta wouldn’t have given up so easily, why would he? Furuta was actually pretty strong…and the way he went out didn’t feel right. So for now…he ordered everyone to stay on alert until they could locate him. That meant that all hands…and heads…were needed to strategize and train for when they would all have to face him again one day.

But their newfound way of life wasn’t all business, training, and order, in fact it was just as fulfilling as ever. Many connections had been made during the last war and in the time since. Hearts became one and love was discovered even in the most uncanny matrimonies. Ghouls or humans…to the members of _GOAT_ , it was just the norm. 

But even if there will still some who didn’t believe in these new changes in society, to others it was an anticipated miracle.

\--

It wasn’t uncommon for Ryoichi to find himself startled every time he awoke safe in his own bed under the roof of his own apartment.  
This morning was obviously not any different. 

The noise of the bustling streets below was usually his alarm clock, but today, it was the sun piercing through the crack in the blinds that forced his bright violet eyes to squint open. He let out a quiet groan before forcing himself to sit up, his shoulder length bright red hair tossed and messy. 

“Get that rat’s nest of yours trimmed or something.” He heard a raspy chuckle coming from beside him, “your father cuts hair for a living, get him to do it!”  
His wife, Koharu Ui – or rather Koharu Takeo now, always nagged at him to do something with his long hair. Even if she sounded sarcastic he knew that she was being dead serious, but not even Ryoichi Takeo was a stranger to humor; so all the more reason to decline. A smirk pulled at his lips as he leaned over to peck her on the lips, pushing some of her own dark strands out of her face. 

“You know I hate getting it cut. Scissors flying around and all.”

“Ryo, I’m tempted to cut it while you’re sleeping! I could’ve killed you when I saw you sporting a man bun last week. You have such beautiful hair, it should at least be in style.”

“Beautiful?” he asked flirtatiously as she ran her fingers through some of his bright red strands, “You sure?”

“Yes,” his wife winced a little as she lifted her body up into a sitting position in their bed, her enlarged stomach was now peaking out from under the blanket; Ryoichi couldn’t help but blush as she commented, “I hope the baby is lucky enough to get your hair colour and be beautiful just like daddy.”

“It’s going to be perfect, no matter if it has mine or yours.” Then with a shaking hand, Ryo reached out to put a hand on her stomach and felt his child fumbling around inside; their miracle.  
However, this child was neither just a ghoul nor human; but rather a mixture of both. Despite the revolution, there still weren’t many reports of half-breed children born – if any. But even if a ghoul and a human were able to conceive…many of the mothers were too terrified or weak stomached to take the actions that involved for a healthy development, this went for both ghouls and humans alike. Sacrifices and personal actions had to be made to ensure survival of the mixed fetus.  
Koharu was strong to have taken it upon herself to take on those risks in caring for her unborn child. Though she’d been turned into a ghoul almost 2 years ago, her DNA was still closer to that of a human, meaning that by mixing with Ryoichi’s…their child had two possibilities in either being a half human…or a half ghoul. They wouldn’t know for sure until it was born, but no matter what the outcome would be, they were prepared to handle it. It was just waiting for the moment to arrive that they were struggling with. Koharu was already a week overdue and least to say she was uncomfortable. But they couldn’t rush nature’s plans…so it would come when it would come. 

“Why don’t I go make us some coffee?” Ryo finally choked out, trying hard not to get too emotional as he started to slip out of the bed, “and have some time to ourselves before we go to the office.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll make us some breakfast.”

The young couple made their way out of their bedroom and was pretty much immediately stepping into the small kitchen and living space of their apartment. They didn’t have much furniture right now, just the necessities for some comfort and entertainment. The neighbors who lived above them seemed to stomp around a lot during the night and the streets were flashy and noisy, but it was cozy, cheep to rent, and best of all it was close to work. _However, Ryoichi wondered if it was ever enough._

Turning on the coffee machine, the redhead sighed and smiled as he glanced out one of the windows, though all he could see was tree branches,

“This is a crappy apartment.” He muttered under his breath only to hear his wife sigh,

“But it’s our crappy apartment. It’s our home.”

Unlike Ryoichi, Koharu had lived a sophisticated life growing up in the Ui family estate. He was almost sure this place was like a shed and she just spared his feelings, but what good were assumptions?

Then, once Koharu had finished the preparations – or what there was to prepare - she set a plate down for her husband and for herself. His had a patty of meat on it…hers had bread and meat in-between…a sandwich? In order to nourish her child, she had to provide food from both ends.

Just as Ryo was about to cut into his meal, Koharu let out a gag as she bit into hers, nearly spitting it out!

“Koharu!” He quickly got up from his seat and stood by her side, rubbing her back but was quickly debunked as she finally swallowed the piece that was in her mouth.

“I’m fine! It just…it’s like biting into a sponge…” all ghouls made that comparison to bread. It was nasty and had a odd texture, but since she had the luxury of being able to eat it at one point in her life, she’s probably frustrated with herself.  
Still, even when she tried to push him away Ryo stayed next to her as she ate, forcing down each bite with tears in her eyes. But as soon as she finished she immediately washed down the after taste with her coffee.

“Ryo…”

“Yes Koharu?”

“From now on I’m making coffee, yours has no flavor.”

“That’s because it’s de-caf.” 

“It’s a joke.”

By the time Koharu had a shower and Ryoichi was cleaning up the dishes, an unexpected visitor had stopped by before they were to take their leave for work.  
Insisting that she should rest, Ryo eagerly answered and opened the creaky door to see his father standing there with big bouquet of flowers in his hands.  
He really shouldn’t say that this was an unexpected visitor, Shouhei Takeo had come by almost everyday bearing gifts for either Koharu or for the baby – sometimes both. It was odd to see him in this light; never did Ryo think that his father would make such an effort to be involved in his son’s life. He’d really changed…and for the better.

“Any news? Is it here yet?” the older man tried to look around Ryoichi’s shoulder, glancing at Koharu who gave a wave from the couch, “Not yet…huh?”

“Nope, but it’s going to happen soon. I’m scared it’s going to come at the office at this point…want a coffee dad?”

“Will I have to make it myself?” He grunted as he pushed past his son, walked over to his daughter-in-law, and presented her with the flowers. She thanked him and even gave him a kiss on the cheek,

“You’re sweet Takeo, don’t worry, I can make a fresh pot for you. Ryo, put the flowers in a vase with some water please.”

But no sooner did Koharu set up the pot before there was another knock on the door. Who else could possibly be at there at this hour? With the bouquet in his hands, Ryoichi insisted on answering again though was startled by a pink blur that bounced into the room! 

“Gah! Hey-“ jittery as usual, the redhead accidently sent the bouquet of flowers flying…having them hit Koori Ui directly in the face. Whoops. 

“Ah…Koori and Hairu. Good to have you!” _Good to have you?_ Ryoichi would never say it out loud…but he still had a slight fear of his brother-in-law – and the way he was glaring at him right now as he picked flower petals off his face solidified that fear.

“Maybe you should lay off the coffee in the morning.” Ui seethed in response, making sure to bump the redhead in the shoulder as he passed by.  
Koori Ui, Koharu’s older brother, and his wife Hairu decided to make a little visit on their way to the office. Apparently Masanori, the pink blur, was begging to see if auntie Koharu had his cousin yet. 

“Auntie Koharu!” The toddler yelled, running towards Koharu who instantly seemed to liven up at the sight of her young nephew and even lifted him up into her lap…or at least what was left of it. There was no denying that Masanori was Ui and Hairu’s child just by his appearance, he was already sporting his father’s bowl cut whilst the pink colour matched his mother’s to a tea. But with looks aside, his personality was all his own. Masanori was a wild child for sure and almost never stayed in one place for too long, he was too busy getting into things or asking question after question. Poor Ui and Hairu were often drained by noon just trying to keep with their son…Maybe this baby would be a good play mate for him once it got a little older. 

“Auntie Koharu…Where’s my cousin?” the pink haired child asked, glancing around the room as if he was expecting to see it magically appear, “Is he here yet?”

 _It could be a she_. But Koharu brushed aside the comment and laughed…though when she did she felt a quick and sharp pain shoot through her body, though only for a moment. It’s probably nothing.

“The baby is still in my tummy.” Koharu patted herself and even invited her nephew to follow suit. Masanori pouted,

“Oh…How much longer?”

“Soon. You’ve been so good and patient waiting for the baby. Are you excited to have a cousin?”

“Yep! We’re going to play games, draw, jump in puddles, hunt for frogs, eat candy, and-“

“Whoa slow down there,” Hairu chortled, taking a seat next to her sister-in-law as her rambunctious son stopped to catch his breath, “Remember Masanori, the baby is going to be small and delicate at first. You’ll have to be gentle with him or her for a little while.”

“Why?” 

It was cute seeing how excited and hopeful the child was about this new addition, but clearly he wouldn’t truly understand the care and tenderness a new baby needed until he was able to witness it for himself. But Koharu was thankful that someone was ready and excited to be able to show her child the ropes – once it reached the age to do so anyways. 

Once everyone had their second cups of coffee (Masanori having hot chocolate instead), Ui let out a sigh as he placed his empty cup into the sink trying not to let a smile pull at his lips. Though he obviously failed,

“We should get going. The sooner we get to work, the sooner we can attend the re-opening of that new coffee shop.”

 

\--

 

While family life for Ryoichi and Koharu was only just starting, least to say it was a very different story for Michiko and Mizurou Tamaki whom were already raising two children. Though in reality Michiko felt like she had 7 kids…if you included the Suzuya Squad…but she wouldn’t have it any other way.  
Despite the common arguments and bickering, there was no denying that they all loved and cared for each other deeply; that to them was perfect enough. 

Mornings in the Suzuya Squad household were often very peaceful, nothing but the humming of the air conditioning and ticking of the clocks made a peep.

Mizurou loved to wake up just a little bit earlier then his wife just so he could quietly watch her sleep. As she lay next to him in their bed, her golden hair tossed and some mascara was still smudged on her eyelids, he still couldn’t believe that he was lucky enough to have her as his wife. She worked so hard everyday at her job and to make sure that their kid’s needs were met – and more! She even attended to his squad when needed by keeping them organized or even just by making them a meal after a mission. On top of that, she’s mature, cool, and collected at all times. But maybe these were just the thoughts of a bias, love struck husband.  
In the heat of his thoughts, Mizurou decided to finally lean it a little closer to her to try and wake her with a kiss, though never got the chance as she woke up just seconds before he could do so. She seemed a little lost as she squinted at him, as if trying to put the pieces together of what just happened – or almost happened. 

“Mizurou darling…?” she crocked out, leaning over to grab her glasses on the bedside table. Michiko almost never wore her glasses. She said that she didn’t suit them and relied heavily on her contacts to allow her to see the world a little clearer. But no matter what she said, Mizurou liked her with or without them.  
Smirking, Mizurou grabbed his wife by her waist, causing her to let out a playful yelp, and pulled her closer to him as their lips finally met. They were a little bit cracked against his own and yet they were so irresistible; he just couldn’t keep away from them for too long!

“You know Michi, you look sexy with those glasses on,” he whispered in her ear, allowing his hands to start wondering her skin and in return earned a giggle, 

“Do I?”

“Yeah.” 

He wasn’t joking either, and his honesty was clearly making Michiko pleased as her glasses were starting to fog up.  
However, the two of them didn’t get very far into their heat of the moment until their _alarm_ went off right at sunrise. It was chipper as ever.

“Daddy!” a small voice yelled out from one of the other bedrooms like a broken record. “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”

It didn’t take long for the shouts to reach Michiko and Mizurou’s room where both parents shifted under the blankets, and sat up almost simultaneously. 

“Mizurou…” his wife muttered out, taking off her glasses and placing them back on the table, “Someone’s calling for you.”

“I know…I’m going.” But before he got out of the bed, he quickly turned himself around to give her another kiss, this time on the cheek, which made her flinch!

“Um, try that again!” Michiko tried not to laugh as her husband tackled her into a hug, kissing her on the lips multiple times and even down her neck…but still the calls rang out for him to get moving. Fun time was over for now.

“DADDY!”

“I better go get her.” He chortled, finally getting up and slipping on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. Oh well, maybe they could try again tomorrow. 

 

When Mizurou finally reached the source of the hollers, the ones that came from their 2 year old toddler, Mizuki, who was sitting innocently in her tiny bed and completely unaware of what she just disturbed. But he couldn’t help but smile when she said to him,

“Good morning daddy! I called for you! Did you hear me?” 

“Good morning Muffin and yes, I heard you loud and clear…I’m sure your brother and uncles did too…maybe even the neighbors.”

She giggled at his response and for a moment he felt a sense of pride for making his daughter laugh; nothing in this world was more precious to him than her happiness.  
It was hard to believe that he almost never got the chance to see her laugh and smile like this…it was almost stripped from him by a contemptible man using her as bait to use Mizurou and Michiko as his pawns. That’s why Mizurou wanted to shelter and protect her for as long as he could, to assure that he’d never loose his little girl to anything or anyone again. _He needed his daughter just as much as she needed him._

Then playfully lifting his daughter into his arms, he said to her,

“Come on Mizuki, let’s go see if Mayuzumi’s up yet.”

“Okay!”

That rascal. He was a good kid now that he’d gotten settled in with them but he was still showing the after effects of being an oggai. Mayuzumi had his aggressive moments and often lashed out at Michiko and Mizurou over the simplest of things. Most times they were at a loss of how to deal with the preteen, it’s like their parenting skills had to jump a decade ahead! But realistically…in parenting there wasn’t any age that was easy to deal with. Mizuki had her own fair share of meltdowns and tantrums that not even candy could fix. Though most times that was the source of the problem, at least according to Michiko.  
As for Mayuzumi, it was a battle just to get him to do his homework most days or to get his face out of his phone, but there were two things that child never did that Mizurou would always be thankful for. He never used his kagune no matter how upset he got and he never lashed out at Mizuki. In fact, he was very helpful when it came down to her, offering to play with her or watch her when the adults were busy…that was a real life saver. But best of all, Mizuki was quite fond of him too. 

 

“Mayu!” Mizuki screeched as they knocked and entered the preteen’s room, “Mayu!”  
The boy shuffled under his blankets and turned himself away with a groan.  
_Ah…so this was how it was going to be?_ Sneering, Mizurou placed the fidgeting toddler down as watched as she leaped onto her brother’s bed and started to vigorously shove him,

“Wake up Mayu!”

“I am up!” He muttered back, though didn’t seem to have any intension of actually getting up. 

“Come on Mayuzumi, mom won’t be pleased if you’re late for school.” Mizurou eventually had to step in as the toddler’s efforts didn’t seem to be making a difference, so he yanked the blankets off of the teen who shot him a dirty look in response. Looks like it really was going to be one of those days. 

“Michiko’s not my mom.” Mayuzumi retorted back as he sluggishly rolled out of his bed. However, no matter what was going through that kid’s head, Mizurou would not tolerate the attitude he was given and quickly grabbed Mayuzumi by the shoulder and turned his body so that he was facing him. 

“Oi. What gives? I don’t want to hear you speaking like that and especially not in front of your sister.” It was usually his wife who would catch and correct this behavior, but now that he was standing next to the teen, Mizurou could sense a hint of sadness wavering off of him. Almost like an uneasy aura. Well maybe his moodiness was sourced from this, at least that’s what he could assume from the lack of eye contact, “Hey…are you okay?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It has to be something...You know, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”

“Mayu?” Mizuki squeaked out, now in-between the two of them and hugging her brother by his legs.

Mayuzumi seemed hesitant to speak, as if he was conflicting with himself to what was best to say. However, he eventually gave into himself and said directly what was on his mind…or rather what happened.

“Erica…texted me and said she’s going to be studying abroad for high school.”

Erica…as in Erica Akita? _Brooke Akita’s younger sister?_ While Mizurou obviously didn’t know the entire story behind Mayuzumi and Erica’s relationship – it seemed like they were good friends as they were once oggai’s together – but he knew that there were some…unexpressed feelings passing by.  
Well…that explains the attitude. His friend was leaving him behind to go overseas…that would make anyone upset.  
He then proceeded to tell him that she was part of an exchange program to not only gain the experience but to also help spread ghoul awareness and share some information with the foreign school boards about _GOAT’s_ causes and allowing ghouls to attend schools world wide. She didn’t tell him all the details, but it sounded like she was going a pretty intense mission by herself. 

“I see...I’m sorry to hear about that. Does Hajime know?”

“Probably.” 

“Well…she sound’s like a brave girl for doing something like that. Now…I know that it’s hard to let a friend go like this, but instead of giving her reasons to stay behind…give her some support and encourage her. Because you never know…she’ll probably end up coming back successful and she’ll have you to thank for that extra support. From being married to Michiko, I think it’s safe to say I know the ways to win a heart.” Okay maybe that last bit wasn’t needed as the teen rolled his eyes, but he smiled at least and gave a nod of understanding.

“Yeah…Okay. I guess I could try.”

“That’s my boy!”

“ _Stop it._ ” Mayuzumi quickly turned himself away and made his way to the bathroom with a bit of a stride in his step. Thus leaving him with confidence and Mizurou with pride. 

“Wait for me Mayu!” Mizuki giggled as she tottered after her brother,

“No, don’t follow me in Mizuki-“ the oggai responded, trying to slip away from the child by sprinting into the bathroom and closing the door on her. But she didn’t seem to have an issue with it and instead took a seat outside of the door.

“Okay. I’ll wait here for you!”

“Muffin…give him some peace and privacy.” Mizurou shook his head with a sigh, lifting his daughter away from the door, “Why don’t we go see if uncle Juuzou or Hanbee are down stairs instead?”

But it was mornings like these in fatherhood that Mizurou wished he’d read the manual first.

\--

However, while family and unity seemed to be a priority for both the Suzuya and Takeo households, Brooke Akita, Erica Akita, and Hajime Hazuki seemed to handle the concept a little bit differently; and certainly a little more dysfunctional. 

Early mornings were never easy for Brooke and ever since she moved out of the Beta-quinx’s Villa to live in her own little house, performing this simple task became even more of a struggle.  
In her coast side themed bedroom, with a few beer cans sitting on the floor, the tomboyish brunette only awoke to the sound of her phone ringing from her bedside table…more or less a brutal awakening.  
Screaming into one of her pillows, the young woman answered a little harshly but no harsher then the voice that came through the other end,

“What do you want?!”

“Brooke where are you? you’re late!” Hsiao’s voice asked sternly through the phone, “Everyone’s waiting on you to arrive! Don’t tell me you forgot to set your alarm again.”

“Set my alarm…? Late? I’m not late you’re early...! But says the one with a girlfriend that’s probably still in bed too…” She didn’t mean to say the last part out loud but Hsiao heard her clear as crystal as the other end went quiet for a few seconds. However, during that break, Brooke finally decided to take a glance at the time to see exactly how late she was, only soon realizing that this was no time to be cracking jokes! She had exactly 10 minutes before she was supposed to be at the office and she hadn’t even gotten up yet! 

“By the way Brooke…do you know where Hig-“

“FUCK!” 

Quickly hanging up the phone, she quickly leaped towards her chaotic closest and began flipping through for her usual attire, “Shit shit shit shit shit! So this is punishment for late night drinking?!” She may have put on a show as if this was an uncommon type of morning for her…but in reality this happened far more often then it should’ve. Drinking at night played no effect on her stubbornness to bother setting an alarm.  
Once she was dressed, teeth brushed, and had most of her hair combed, she made her way to Erica and Hajime’s rooms, slamming and shouting to get them to now shift,

“ **GET UP NOW!** ” 

“What is it sis?” Erica yawned, knocking her game consoles off her bed, “It’s Sunday…right?”

“No it’s not, it’s Monday! Now move! You have to meet with Kaneki about your exchange thing right?!”

After she left Erica to get ready, more or less in a panic, Brooke knew she’d have to light a fire cracker to get Hajime to get up; or maybe not.

“HAJIME GET- Oh…you are up.” By the time she walked in, the young teen was already dressed and ready to go and playing a game on his phone. When he finally decided to engage Brooke’s presence, a malicious smirk crossed his face,

“I was up an hour ago.” 

So…he knew that they were running late. Good god. Honestly the brunette could’ve taken out her Ukaku without mercy if not for their current state. Hajime was always disrespectful to Brooke…but then again Brooke didn’t always correct his mannerisms and often added fuel to the fire. Sometimes she had to ask herself if taking in Hajime was the right thing to do. The amount of times that they butt heads almost seemed uncanny. But Hajime needed the support, even the blind could see that, so for now Brooke would have to try and bite her tongue and make it through his teenage years…best as possible.

“Why you little-”

“Come on Hajime, you’re going to have to run to school if you keep sitting there!” Erica called from the door way as she was still slipping on her socks, “Or you’ll be on clean up duty! You don’t want to miss the party tonight do you?”

“Let me get back to you on that.” Hajime laughed, eyeing the other oggai as he made his way out of the room, “I don’t know, hanging out with Mayuzumi seems like a waist of time.”

“That’s mean Hajime!”

“I know…well at least zero squad’s going to be there. They should be amusing.”

“Enough dawdling and just hurry up or _I_ won’t let you come to the party at all!” Brooke shouted, nearly having to push the two pre-teens down the stairs. Luckily her false threat seemed to work as the boy nearly sprinted out the door so fast that he almost forgot his school bag. 

But not even Brooke would pull Hajime away from the party tonight; everyone was going to be celebrating the re-opening of the café! The party was going to be wild enough that they were closing the office for the day tomorrow so at least she would be able to sleep in!

Well this gave Brooke some morning motivation as she had something fun and exciting to look foreword to tonight! More drinks, good food, and some friends to mingle with till dawn. 

Then, as the now cheery brunette was slapping on her shoes, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs,

“Hey, what’s going on? What’s with all the yelling?” Higemaru Touma asked a little bit dazed as he glanced at Brooke whom was ready for work and then at himself who was still in his pajamas…or in his underwear anyways. Brooke covered Erica’s eyes.

OH right, they had a sleepover.

Laughing a little hysterically, the brunette already knew she was going to get scolded and lectured for being late anyways…so she might as well wait on Higemaru to get ready.

“Touma…I’ll be honest with you. I forgot you were here.”

\--

While most of the member’s of _GOAT_ attended to their usual duties and assigned jobs for the day, Touka Kirishima and a handful of other members all were busily preparing for the eventful evening at the new location of the: re coffee shop! During the last battle, some unfortunate event’s lead down to the burning of the original café leaving both the owners and its usual visitors devastated. The goal of the café was practically in sync with _GOAT’s_ , wanting to unite both ghouls and humans in a welcome and safe environment where they can both find some common ground. Only this time, Touka wanted to make it more of a public knowledge instead of keeping it secret. Even just like the old place, Touka and Kaneki decided to live upstairs in the suit above the shop with their young son Rei!  
But with a new location came some changes that would almost make it a little bit more open minded compared to the original, starting with the fact that Touka had opened the café along side her best friend Yoriko Kuroiwa! 

The duo decided to work the establishment as a café and a bakery, combining both of their passions to make something spectacular! But more importantly to show the public that humans and ghouls can work together! Besides, these two preferred working in a cozy environment compared to the overwhelming headquarter building. 

But preparing for the opening night was a little more work then they originally thought, Yoriko had been rushing around with trays full of bread and pastries so swiftly she almost made it look like a sport! Good thing her husband Takeomi came by to help out with the baking portion. Well…as best as he could. As easy as it looked when his wife did it, Takeomi soon came to the realization that rolling bread was not task for amateurs.

“Y-Yoriko, wait can you help me with this?” the former investigator pleaded, holding a small ball of dough in his hands that was slowly starting to flatten. Maybe he kneaded it too much? Luckily, no matter how busy she was, Yoriko would stop what she was doing and assist her husband whenever he called. After all, he was making a big effort to try and help her. 

Mean while, Touka was hustling around the sitting area of the café, adding the final details like menus, cleaning the tables, fixing the plants and curtains, just pulling everything together! It was a little bit bigger then her pervious shop, but all the more room for visitors. Speaking of which, Hinami and Ayato stopped by a little early to help assist!  
Ayato was in charge of cleaning the cups while Hinami had a little corner of the shop all set up for the little ones, a table complete with colouring and toys for their amusement. She even brought in a little tea set for them. 

“Nice touch Hina.” Touka called as her now sister-in-law backed away to admire her addition to the shop, “I’m sure the parents will appreciate it just as much as the kids.”

“Thanks Touka!” 

“I’d say were just about ready. We just need Ken to return with the coffee beans- Speak of the devil.” The little bell above the door jingled the moment that the king himself returned with bags of beans in his hands…and a little princess being carried on his chest. Hinami assisted him with bringing the bags to the counter while Touka took Ichika out of her father’s pouch, the infant could only yawn as it attempted to go back to sleep in her mother’s arms. 

“Shouldn’t be too long before everyone starts to arrive. After I finished by discussion with Erica all anyone was talking about was the opening tonight.” The king sighed, taking a seat on one of the bar stools, “Sound’s like everyone’s excited.”

“They should be. This is going to be an eventful night.” The queen seemed very confident about the event that was about to unfold, as she should! She worked hard to make this all possible and now that it was a reality again…she deserved a pat on the back at least! But Kaneki knew better than that and gave his queen a kiss instead. 

 

Just like Kaneki predicted, all the members of _GOAT_ were starting to trickle in just when the sun was setting that evening. Everyone was impressed by the new café and took their time with talking to Touka and Yoriko over some coffee and treats. It was nice and peaceful at least until the little whirlwinds showed up.

Mizuki and Masanori headed straight to Hinami’s kiddie corner as soon as they walked through the door, even insisting that Rei should join them! 

“Please uncle Kaneki?” Mizuki pleaded , holding out one of the small teacups towards the baby who tried to grab it from her, but was just a little too far up in her father’s arms. 

“Yeah, I want to play cars with Ichika…I hate playing tea party.” Masanori pouted, pushing the nicely placed tea set off of the children’s table; Kaneki could’ve sworn that Mizuki was almost going to cry.

“Masanori!” Hairu scolded her son close by, requesting that he pick up the mess that he created. But that child wasn’t easy to convince to do anything he didn’t want to do.

Yeah, Ichika would have to wait.

Luckily, Koharu was there to save the day, as she was able to talk Masanori into cleaning up the cups and apologizing. The child certainly had a weak spot for her…that or even he knew not to mess with a pregnant lady. 

“Sorry Mizuki…” the pink haired child muttered out, helping his little friend set up her tea set again. But children are resilient and Mizuki was quick to shake it off and said that they should colour instead. 

“I’m going to draw uncle Shuu!” Masanori proclaimed, quickly snatching all the bold coloured crayons and began scribbling on the piece of paper, “He has funny clothes.”

 

“I’m going to draw…umm.” Mizuki’s big green eyes scanned the room, looking desperately for her model, “umm…I’m going to draw…Auntie Marie. She’s pretty- Masanori you took all the red crayons!”

Marie Kitami? Out of curiosity Koharu turned herself around to see where the blond was hanging out that intrigued the child so much. Eventually, she spotted her teammate sitting at one of the tables with Kiyoko Aura, chatting about…something.  
Those two sure have become chummy over the years…  
Well, if Marie was here, Yusa couldn’t be too far away and of course Koharu was able to spot him instantly. The young Arima was glancing at the blond from a near by table with his two usual companions and Hajime of course. 

Yusa had a crush on Marie for as long as Koharu could remember, actually most if not everyone already knew about his little secret, everyone but MARIE! There were days when she wanted to tell the airhead herself about his feelings for her…but that would probably ruin any chance he’d get to be with her. **Those two were playing a game a fox and wolf.**

But Koharu was quickly knocked out of her thoughts when a sharp pain felt like it just split through her lower stomach causing her to wince again. The pain itself didn’t last long, but it certainly startled her and forced her to take a seat. 

“Koharu, are you okay?” Hairu asked, eyeing her with some slight concern as Koharu sucked in her breath as the pain started to slowly fade away. Maybe the baby kicked her wrong or something. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” But as soon as she was up on her feet again, Ryoichi was already making his way over to her with water in hand and Masaya trailing behind. Honestly she couldn’t breath without him checking up on her…but honestly the water was just what she needed and drank it greedily, “Thank you Ryo.”

“How are you? Are you tired? Should we go home?” 

“Go home? No Ryo I said I’m fine…Gah!” But just as she said that, the pain returned and caused her to nearly loose her breath. What was this? It just hit her out of nowhere. Gripping onto the back of the chair, Koharu twisted her body to try and see if stretching would ease the pain but it only made it worse…Are these contractions?! Was she-

“Koharu! You’re not fine! We need to get you home – no – do you need a doctor? What’s going on? How bad is it-?”

“ **Shut up Ryoichi!** ” she tried to yell through her teeth, but talking just only made her feel worse. Soon, Hairu was sitting down on her knees trying to look at her sister-in-law in the eyes and when she finally made eye contact, the pinkette ordered Ryo to fetch Touka and Kimi. 

“Hairu…?”

“Koharu…I think you’re starting to go into labor.”

Labor…Here, NOW?! During the party?!  
Everyone else was so in-tuned with what they were doing that they hadn’t even noticed what was going on in the corner of the room, but in some ways Koharu was thankful for that. But her husband surly didn’t waist a second as Touka, Kimi, and even Karren made it over to the expectant mother; and all of them could clearly connect the dots and somehow knew just what to do. But just has Koharu was straightening her body again, she felt something warm start to pool; her water broke!

“Alright…um, can you make it up the stairs to the apartment?” The queen glanced down at her wearily, but Koharu said that she’d make it, “Okay…Hairu, Ryo, you come up with us. Let’s keep this group as small as possible…”

“Touka…your party…”

“It’s fine. I got Ken to take my place…but right now I don’t think that should be your main concern.”

“She’s right,” Karren said, reaching out a hand to help her to her feet with Hairu on the other side, “Let’s get the kid out first…Aus!” But as easy as they liked to make it sound…getting to the staircase felt like one of the longest jaunts any of them had ever taken. Eventually, everyone else was able to see just what was going on and were already trying to go up the stairs with them! _God why couldn’t everyone just go back to drinking and minding their own business?!_

“As the grandfather I think I have permission to-“

“You have no permission you old arsch!” Karren yelled back at Shouhei Takeo who was quickly blocked off by her kagune, “that goes for everyone else!

“Koharu?! HAIRU?” Ui was the next to try and wiggle his way around to the entrance of the stair case, but Karren kept a firm hold, urging that Hairu be the one to take her up the rest of the way as contractions started to hit her again. 

 

“Watch Masanori for me okay?” Hairu called back to her husband whilst trying to comfort his sister who let out a bloody cry! Ui swore that he was going to kill Ryoichi one day…But if this was going to be his role in the birth, he reassured his partner that he’d watch their child like a hawk. 

\--

However, while mostly everyone down stairs was patiently waiting to hear any news on the progress, the actual labor was already starting out a little bit rocky. Not in the case of the baby, but rather Koharu willing to cooperate.

“Check me again Kimi!” this was her demand every few minutes…though the answer hardly ever differed. Even though Kimi herself had never gone through this herself, she was lucky to have both Touka and Hairu present to help try and ease the expectant mother. Though words only had so much power before Koharu was starting to chew off their heads too, “Don’t touch me Hairu! You either Ryo!”

It was clear that the pinkette was starting to get a little frustrated, as she had to eventually walk to the corner of the guest room to keep herself from saying anything. She couldn’t really argue anyways, she knew how it felt to be in that position. Ryo, on the other hand, looked broken up by his wife’s words and almost took them to heart.

“I’m sorry! You’re right it is my fault! That’s it I’m never having sex again!”

“What are you babbling about now…?” Karren asked as she finally entered the room, though her face gave it away that she wished she hadn’t. With Ryoichi crying like a river, Koharu shouting words that no one ever heard her say to the light of day, Touka and Kimi running in and out of the room in a panic…Karren decided that maybe she should take hold of the rope here, after all she had an idea that may be beneficial to Koharu. 

“Can I suggest something here?”

“What?”

Then the purplette called Touka over and requested that she start filling up the bathtub,

“Koharu…how do you feel about having a water birth?”

 

Once the small bath was prepped and ready for use, The 4 women helped Koharu with the stripping of her clothes and assisted her into the tub. Though with being in such a small room, Hairu decided to wait outside in the living space with Ryoichi as Kimi, Karren, and Touka helped her get ready.  
But as she sat there in the water, Koharu already felt more relaxed, safe, and even a little more comfortable – at least as comfortable as she was going to get. But this didn’t stop her contractions from taking place and the only thing she was able to squeeze were the sides of the tub or Karren’s hand when she offered it. She wished Ryoichi was next to her, despite his constant worries, he was still her husband…the person she cherished most.

This cycle went on for what felt like eternity, almost every 5 minutes she had a contraction and they only got more intense! The nice part about being in the water was her ability to change positions when she wanted to, though she felt best when she was on her knees. 

“Aghhh!” as another contraction hit, Kimi put one of her hands into the water to check on her progress…and she looked satisfied when she pulled away. 

“Okay Koharu, I think it’s time. Touka, get some towels!”

“Right!”

“And I’ll get Ryo and Hairu,” Karren said, glancing down at Koharu with a smile, “they should be the one’s who get to see the birth. Viel Glück.”

And now…with each of them assigned their tasks, she was soon given hers…and it certainly wasn’t the easy one.  
Hovering herself over the tub a little, Kimi made sure that Ryoichi was able to be at his wife’s side and Hairu behind him before she ordered her to start pushing. 

“Okay, on the count of 3…”

\--

Koharu was ignorant if she ever thought that she knew pain before this day. Though she was set in a routine of when to breathe and when to push, it started to become more of a blur the farther along she got.  
For once in his life, Ryoichi didn’t tremble as she cried out to him, instead he stayed firm and held onto her hand – acting like a rock. But she needed that; she needed him to be brave, because right now she was struggling. 

“Come on Koharu, I need another push, I can feel the head slipping out!”

She held her jaw down so hard she thought her teeth would break, but she was at the final stage, she was nearly done and her child would be in her arms at any moment! Finally, after letting out her final scream, she felt something wiggle in the water under her and immediately Kimi pulled the little body up into the air to hand it to it’s mother. It didn’t fully sink in of what just happened until the baby let out its first cries of life, wailing as it took it’s first breaths of air. Oh my god.

“It’s a boy,” Ryoichi stuttered, “It’s a boy!”

“It’s a boy,” Hairu repeated, clasping her hands as tears started to weld up in her eyes,

“It’s a boy…” Koharu wept, holding the small, slippery body close to hers. Then, her husband leaned over to place a kiss on her lips and lean his forehead against her own…tears falling down his own face as he whispered,

“You did it Koharu…you did it.”

 

Once the mother and child were cleaned and taken care off, Touka let them stay in her guest room to recover for as long as they needed. Now that they could really see him, the child did indeed inherit the signature Takeo red hair, something that no one was truly surprised by. But by seeing him suit the look already and wanting the child to carry a name with an honor, so Koharu and Ryoichi decided to name their son after his grandfather, Shouhei.  
Though, the moment that they’d all really been anticipating was just about to commence, as the child was already demanding it’s first meal. So, the 5 of them gathered around the bed to watch as the baby latched onto Koharu’s breast…and see a kakugan start to take form in one of his eyes. 

A natural one-eyed ghoul.

The new baby smell must’ve blocked even the ghouls from being able to sense it.

“Well that’s not something you see everyday, Glückwunsch.” Karren’s jaw nearly hit the floor when she witnessed it, and the others were no better. But they didn’t stare out of concern or hatred, but rather wonderment and hope. 

What things could a child like this do to help change their world…? 

“We should really let you get some rest.” Kimi noted, trying to urge the other women out of the room, “Do you want us…to tell the others?”

“Yes,” Koharu nodded, adjusting her child as he pulled away from her breast, glancing up at her with his kakugan that started to slowly revert back to it’s normal state, “that’s fine.”

But the new family didn’t get much time alone to rest before two other lively bodies raced into the room, both excited to meet a new future friend. 

“Where is my cousin?!” The pink haired hellion asked, even jumping onto the bed to try and get a better look at the baby. Though was instantly scolded by his father, whom was a little winded, attempted to take him off. But Koharu excused the child’s behaviour.  
“Masanori! Auntie Koharu is trying to rest! I’m sorry, he really wanted to come and see you-”

“It’s okay Koori-bro,” his sister chuckled weakly and patted the empty space next to her and invited Masanori to meet his new cousin, “Sit here Masanori, I want you to meet someone…you too Mizuki.”  
Now a bit unsure of how to act, the young children approached Koharu’s side a little cautiously to peak over and look at the infant whom was already asleep. Masanori was thrilled to have another boy join the _GOAT_ children, Mizuki on the other hand, was a little less thrilled. But soon, many of the others were already looking in from the doorway, all trying to see the new half-ghoul child.  
However, Koharu’s squad was never known for formal mannerisms and shoved their way in with Brooke naturally being in the lead,

“Alright, everyone stand aside, if anyone deserves to look at this kid it’s us- oh…” But even the brute herself was brought to silence when she spotted the cute scene that was playing in front of her. No one in the Beta-squad had ever seen their leader look so proud and yet exhausted at the same time; totally vulnerable.

Carma, Marie, and Yoko were all sobbing with joy whilst Brooke, Michiko, and Shoko all proudly nodded at their friend who gave a tired smile in return. Takeo, Masaya and Nishiki even came over to give Ryo a pat on the shoulder!  
But seeing her curious nephew, the new mother asked him if he wanted to hold the baby.

“Can I auntie Koharu?”

“Of course…here.” Then both Koharu and Ui helped Masanori sit upright on the bed and showed him how to support baby Shouhei. It was defiantly a awe moment to look at the two cousins this way…and the raven haired woman could’ve sworn that Ui was trying not to cry as he held his head back slightly. _Just cry if you need to brother._

…

 

The news of a new one-eyed ghoul went over very well with the rest of the member’s of _GOAT_ as they saw this child as being the new spark of light, to maybe one day even surpass Eto Yoshimura or even Ken Kaneki; to be able to defeat Furuta for good.  
All seeds take time to grow into trees, and if it’s taken care of with love, and supported with dedication, it will bloom and bear the fruit of success.  
However, if a seedling is left in the storm for too long…it could end up withering in doubt. 

 

In the garden, far away from society lived a small family of 4 with the aunts and uncles; a group of clowns.  
The mother, Rize, was often aloof and kept her nose in a book, she wished for freedom in the beyond.  
The father, Furuta, was proud and held a firm leash, keeping things he cared about close and goals even closer.  
The sister, Yuuko, was cheeky and quick witted, though she was far from obedient.  
The brother, Ryuu…he wasn’t like anyone in his family at all. His sense of purpose had been stripped from him the day born and was given a part to play in this life that he saw as a circus. 

“Practice your tricks my children, the more talent you have the more laughs you’ll receive.”


	2. GOAT: Breakeven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the announcement of Erica's mission becomes official, Mayuzumi struggles with coming to terms with having to let her go so easily.
> 
> Meanwhile, Furuta is stirring up a bigger pot of injustice with his hatchlings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've made some minor changes to one of the characters, by replacing the Touken child, and am now using the official girl instead. Hello Ichika. <33 Sorry Rei. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! <33

“Erica…are you sure you’re okay with going on this mission alone?” Ken Kaneki sat at one end of the large meeting room table with the young teen, Erica, sitting next to him; a thousand ears were listening and yet it was vacant, “I know that you’re more than capable enough…but this isn’t exactly a train ride away. At the end of the day, it’s your decision to go, no one will force you to leave if you don’t feel comfortable.”

“I understand that,” the girl replied, shuffling through some of the papers and documents that were spread out in front of her. Most of which were instructions and topics that she would have to cover while she would be there – but also things that she would need to learn about and bring back to Japan, “but I want to help out as much as I can – that’s why I stayed here to work with everyone. So I see this as an honor that you selected me to do this.”  
Though, she would never say it out loud, Erica knew that she didn’t even have any competition to begin with. For this High school transfer program…King Kaneki had to choose one of the remaining oggai that kept in touch, and the only one’s that stayed in GOAT were Mayuzumi, Hajime, and Erica herself.  
Still, it was easy to tell that even the king was still cautious about this mission as he leaned over the table with his head over his curled up hands; like he was stuck in thought. So, bravely, the young teen spoke up again making sure that her Akita-blue eyes showed determination and proceeded to speak up again to solidify her decision,

“Look, I know I might still be considered young to most of the people who work here; but that doesn’t mean that I’m any less capable of going on a high class mission that’s beyond my usual comfort zone. When I was a little kid, my older sister’s always played a big role in my life and showed me when and when not to be afraid – especially Brooke. I learned how to swim because she tossed me into the deepest part of the pool. Sure, I struggled for air at first but I learned how to paddle and keep myself at the surface. Right now…knowing that I’m taking a risk just by going to convince a population to try and look twice at the former enemy is already giving me goose bumps. So what I’m trying to say is…maybe I need to toss those people into the ocean to learn how to swim, because I don’t think it’ll do anyone any good if we just give up and decide to let them float on their safe little raft all the time.”

Her example seemed a little bizarre to Kaneki, mostly because she seemed to already have the confidence she needed to peruse in this assignment. There was no doubt that she was Brooke’s sister, and yet she seemed to be a completely different individual of her own. 

She knew what she had to do…even though she didn’t. 

So, shaking his head out of his bewildering thoughts, Kaneki reached over the table to fetch a folder, pulled out a form, a slid it over to Erica whom already had a pen in hand,

“It’s people like you that I hope can inspire the future generations at our establishment – and across the world. If you stay as self-assured as you are now, I have no doubts that you’ll come out of this mission successful, but just keep in mind…”

“Yeah?”

Then, the king himself let a smile poke at his lips as she looked at him almost concerned, 

“To stay true to your morals.”

Erica Akita looked for a moment as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders as she finally signed the sheet that would permit her to work as a transfer student under _GOAT’s_ name. 

\--

Naturally, it didn’t take long for the news of Erica’s mission becoming official to reach the other members of _GOAT_ , and the reactions were certainly mixed.

Some thought that it was going to be a good experience for her and that she would do a good job in the time of those 3 years.

Other’s disagreed and thought that she was too young to be going for that length of time with the inexperience of the real world. 

But despite those who protested to the idea, it was signed on paper and the girl was more than willing to go through with it; in fact she was even excited about it! Even her older sister Brooke thought that her sister would do her proud– er…them proud.  
That’s why, on the day before Erica was set to leave, Brooke requested that they have a little party at :re as a way for her sister to receive some proper farewells. 

However, there was one boy in particular who was already dreading the fact that he had to attend the event, that boy being Mayuzumi.

 

As he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror with the nice, new shirt that Michiko carefully ironed for him, with his hair perfectly parted in the center, and even the scent of the cologne that he borrowed from Mizurou…he still felt a like it wouldn’t be enough. This was the last time that he’d get to see her in person for a while…at the very least he wanted to make an impression. 

_He used to be able to hunt ghouls fearlessly…and yet he had a hard time stomaching seeing Erica these days._

So, taking a quick breath, the boy decided to start making his way down the stairs of the Suzuya squad’s house, only to be stared at by his adoptive caregivers as they rushed over to wish him luck. 

“Well don’t you clean up nice,” Michiko smiled as she adjusted the collar of his shirt, perfectionist as usual “doesn’t he Mizurou?”

“I hardly recognized him,” her husband chortled, putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “where did this snazzy young man come from?”

“Stop it…” Mayuzumi groaned, trying to step away from the both of the doting parents, “now I have to get-“

“Wait, hold on Mayuzumi,” Michiko called just before he could make it to the doorway, “Mizuki and me picked you up a little present.” And as he turned himself around, the little girl came running into the room with a long box in her small hands. What was it? So carefully taking it from her, he lifted the lid to find a blue tie covered in tiny white stars. Oh…he’s never had his own tie before. Was he supposed to be excited?

“Thanks.”

“It’s a tie! I picked it for you!” Mizuki said proudly before hugging him around his legs, “Do you like it?”

“It’s nice.” He replied flatly, trying to shake her off. Though he honestly didn’t know if this was considered to be a nice tie…but Michiko probably wouldn’t have bought it if it weren’t.

“We thought we’d get you a little something to help complete your outfit for today.” The woman said, taking the long fabric out of it’s box and helping tie it under the boys collar, whispering in his ear, “Believe me, It was hard for me to convince her to choose this over one that had geckos.”

Once the tie was securely in place, even though it wasn’t on tight, Mayuzumi still felt like he was being suffocated. Tugging on his collar, the pre teen slapped on his shoes and was about to open the door before Mizurou also asked him to wait a second. 

“ **What now**?!” his tone came out a little sharper than even he wanted, but the three of them were starting to get on his nerves – and he was already in knots as it was! 

“Mayuzumi! That is no way to speak to your family that just helped you get ready. Apologize right now…I’m not asking-”

“Easy Michi…I was just going to ask if you wanted a ride down to the shop,” but despite how his wife was glaring at the boy, Mizurou offered him a weak smile as he pulled the car keys out from his pocket, “unless you feel like running?”

Oh shoot. 

Gulping, he lightly nodded his head and quickly apologized for his rash behavior.  
“Sorry about that…Yes please, I’d like a ride.”

“Right, then lets move!” 

As the two of them were finally making their way out the door, little Mizuki must have assumed that it was an open invitation and nearly tagged along before her mother caught her at the doorsteps. 

“I don’t think so young lady.”

“But mommy! I wanna go too!” the toddler whined in her mother’s arms trying to break free, “I wanna go!”

“You can stay here with me Mizuki.” Michiko said wearily, trying to keep hold of her squirming child, “why don’t you and me bake something instead?”

\--

Upon Erica’s request, the party was small and quiet much to her sister’s distaste. Though it was only bitter sweet for Mayuzumi as it would give him more opportunity to get closer and talk with her.  
From the moment he walked through the doors, the only ones in the reserved area of the café was Erica, Brooke, Hajime, Ui, Hairu, Masanori, Hakatori, Koharu, baby Shouhei, Shio, Rikai, Yusa, Yoriko, Touka, and baby Ichika. A small crowd…but still a rowdy one. So maybe getting to be with Erica one-on-one would be impossible but at least it wouldn’t be totally cramped. 

“Hey’a Mayuzumi!” but just when he was starting to over think the situation, Erica openly invited him to take a seat next to her and Hajime. Okay, he would accept, “Nice tie.” 

 

“Alright I have some more coffee’s on the way!” Touka shoved her way through the small group balancing a tray full of dainty, breakable, cups filled with her homemade blend. Baby Ichika was passed out and being carried around on her mother’s back, she didn’t even flinch at the noise and yelling around her, “Koharu, you want a coffee too?” 

“Please.” Koharu Takeo nodded, towards the queen, though her eyes were locked on her brother, Ui, whom was holding her son and critically glancing at the infant. It was funny, the more serious he tried to be with his nephew, the more he caved and ended up laughing. 

“He looks too much like his father.” Ui teased as the red headed baby reached out one of its chubby hands to grab a fistful of his bowl cut. Wincing, it seemed like the more Ui tried to get him to let go…the more hair he grabbed! Okay…so maybe there was some of Koharu in him, “Ouch, hey, let go you little scamp!” 

“Don’t call my cousin names!” Masanori defended, trying to get up close to Shouhei and hug him, “He’s not a…scamp?”

“You’re right Masanori,” Ui conceded once he finally was able to free himself from his nephew’s grabby fingers, “he’s a rascal…”

“And you’re a stick in the mud,” Koharu said, swooping in and taking back her son and trying not to laugh at her brother’s face as he looked disheartened by her doing so, “So sweeten up and have some cake, dear brother.”

“Cake? What cake?” But just as Ui was turning himself around to see what she meant, Yoriko was carrying out a big chocolate cake that looked like there was enough to feed double the crowd! Though, just by looking at it, Koharu could already feel her stomach turn. If it was one thing she liked about being a ghoul – she had a valid excuse to avoid sweets. 

“Holy- what’s this?” This must have been a surprise for Erica because her eye’s nearly popped out of her scull when she saw it.

“It’s cake.” Hajime said sarcastically only to have her punch him in the shoulder.

“It’s a little gift from me and Takeomi.” Yoriko said as she placed the heavy cake down on one of the tables without a sweat! The top was decorated with beautiful flowers…and they weren’t the butter cream kind either, “and Karren and Carma also contributed as you could probably already guess.”

By the time everyone had a slice placed in front of them, Koharu had decided to find a new seat beside one of her long time friends who didn’t seem as lively as usual. No shouting or demands…Maybe in this little moment of peace they could talk for a little bit.  
Brooke was sitting at the end of one of the tables, with surprisingly no cake in front of her, and looking a little bit sad as she watched the festivities take place in the room. So, pulling up a chair beside her, Koharu tried to start up the conversation directly.

“Hey, you doing okay?”

“Hm?” Brooke almost seemed startled when she heard her voice, it was like she didn’t even see her come over, “yeah, I suppose.”

“That doesn’t sound okay to me.”

Behind Brooke’s glasses, her eyes were glossy and a little but red in the corners. As if she was crying earlier. Though when she talked to Koharu she didn’t sound choked up at all.  
_Brooke Akita, always so out of tune with her emotions._

“Well, I don’t know Koharu…how would you feel if the only member of your family was leaving you out of the blue- well maybe not out of the blue but…I was so excited for her at first but now that she’s really leaving…it’s hard to believe.”

Koharu snuck a glance over at Erica to see how she was taking this. From what she could see, it didn’t seem like Erica was too heart broken about any of this as she was stuffing cake in her face along side her friends. Though maybe it would hit her later on.

“I hope you don’t mind that I brought you a little something to bring with you on your mission,” Hakatori said, placing a particularly…long present in front of the young Akita, “I want you to have this.”  
But as she ripped off the wrapping paper…Erica was presented with a gift that she already knew wouldn’t be allowed to use!

“A Quinque?!” Erica stuttered, at the unprotected weapon as it sat on the table, “Umm…Thanks Tomoe but…I don’t think I’ll get this past customs.”

“I’ll take it if you don’t want it!” Hajime said, his eyes already eyeing it. But Erica kindly handed back the gift to Hakatori…who thankfully respected her decision.  
“Well, if you ever need a quinque…I’ll mail one to you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind…” 

 

Carefully, Koharu cradled Shouhei in her arms as he started to doze. Then she proceeded to ask Brooke another question, one that she wanted to ask since arriving,

“By the way Brooke, where’s Higemaru? Could he not make it today?” That pink haired quinx that Brooke was dating seemed to be missing from this usual crowd tonight, and no one seemed to comment on it either. But there was a long pause between the question and the answer. 

“Touma? Oh yeah, we broke up.”

“What?!” Koharu had to cover her own mouth so not to catch the attention of the other guests, but even though it took Brooke a while to answer…when she did she said it so causally, “Oh Brooke…I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Nah don’t be. Some relationships aren’t meant to stand the test of time…plus I’m the one who broke up with him.” The brunette reached over the side of the table to take a sip of her iced tea, “Hige’s a cool guy…but he’s not for me. You know, it’s one thing to be friends with someone but once you cross that line of no return…things change. And it’s not always good.” 

“Well…if you don’t mind me asking, what made you want to split?”

“Hmm…Well I’ll tell you one thing, Hige was taking it too seriously. I mean, he’s loyal, but he sometimes acted like we were going to get married or something. He was stiff. Our date nights were always on a schedule – Activity, food, home. All the time - there were no surprises! I like a fun time where I can just do what I want when I want…” Brooke stopped to catch her breath – though really she sounded out of breath as she easily gulped down the last bit of her drink. Koharu didn’t say a word; she just put a hand on her friend’s back to give her some support. Once the brunette was able to catch her second wind, a grin pulled at her cheeks, “But he’s not all bad you know. I mean he’s a good guy…he cared about me and would stay over to take care of me when I drank too much. We had history…so I guess we had some inside jokes too. But…I really have to give him credit in his sex techniques-”

“Okay I think I get it.” Koharu was trying so hard not laugh but was failing miserably. God and to think that Hige was at the Chateau right now probably still getting over this break up, “well at least I know what was _really_ bothering you.”

“Bothering me? The break up? No way…I shed a few tears but I’m fine. Geez I’m not that easy to read.”

“Then why are you crying now?” Did she honestly not realize that she had tears falling down her cheeks right now? She’d been crying ever since Koharu had brought up Higemaru…Luckily no one else seemed to catch on yet so the raven-haired woman fetched a tissue from her pocket and handed it to her friend. “So…it is Hige? Not Erica?”

“Yeah…it is. But it’s not just him. Look at this,” quickly drying her eyes, Brooke quickly reached into her bag that she had under the chair, pulled out a small photo and handed it to the other woman; Koharu almost yelped, “You see…it’s someone else.”

What Brooke handed to her…was a sonogram. 

“Oh my god…Brooke, you’re pregnant?”

The brunette then whispered to her friend that she only found out the other day after feeling ill for a few days. She later went and met up with Kimi who gave her the results. Though…Brooke found out after the breakup and there was only one possible father…and even had no idea.  
Brooke did assure Koharu that she was planning on telling Higemaru, eventually, but decided to give him a little space at the moment. She also decided to hold off on telling Erica and Hajime for her own reasons. If Erica found out now…it could ruin her mission. If she told Hajime…she had no idea what to expect.

“Well Brooke, no one will no what’s best other than you. But if you ever need a hand…let me know.”

“Thanks…that’s good to know because believe it or not…I’m terrified.”

“We’ve all been there.”

Then, in Koharu’s arms, little Shouhei started to pule softly and this gave his mother an idea. Quickly, Koharu placed her son into Brooke’s arms without warning to see what she would do. Though Brooke didn’t seem quite as keen on this.

“Whoa Whoa hey, what are you doing? What do I-“

“If you don’t try, you don’t learn…see how the shoe fits.”

“Shoe? This shoe doesn’t like me-“ it was clear that this was uncharted territory for the brunette as she tried to find a good position to hold the child, and Koharu didn’t seem like she was going to assist anytime soon.

_She was going to throw her into the deepest part of the ocean and wait for her to swim._

Eventually, Brooke was able to solve the issue by simply allowing the child to burp over her shoulder. Not even on the battlefield did Brooke look so proud of herself.  
“You know…Shoe isn’t so bad- um Shou I mean. This mother thing isn’t so bad.”

“You need to spend longer then 5 minutes at it Brooke…”

Indeed…Brooke was going to swallow water a few times, but she’d eventually conquer nature’s rhythm. 

\--

Of course…when you’re under the same roof as Michiko, you have strict curfew. She even sent him 3 text messages to remind him,

_‘At 8 pm dad will get you.’_

_Dad…? Mizurou’s not my father._

By this hour, almost everyone was gone already, except for the few that decided to help stay and clean up. However, while Mayuzumi was out at the right time, his ride was still en route. So for now he just leaned up against the outside wall of the shop, no point of waiting inside now. 

“Mayuzumi, you need a ride?” Erica asked, peaking her head outside the door, “You’ve been standing there for a little while…want us to drive you home?” 

“No thanks…Mizurou’s probably already on his way.”

“Oh, okay.” Then, she slipped back into the shop, only to soon step back outside with a small container in her hands, though she urged for him to take it.

“What is it?”

“Left over cake. For your sister.” _Ah, right,_ Though he would’ve liked a piece for himself tomorrow. That was a really good cake. “But can I keep you company until you go?”

“If you want.” He said briskly, trying to avoid eye contact best he could. This was probably going to be the last time they spoke face to face and he couldn’t even look at her…what was wrong with him?!

“You know…I’m pretty excited about this mission. Scared…but excited!” Great, this is just what he needed to hear, _what about me?_ Mayuzumi had to bite his lip to keep himself from saying anything he might regret. “But I think today really proved something to me…”

“What’s that?” What was there to prove today other than Yoriko’s cake was delicious? Seriously Mizuki might not get the chance to eat this slice in his hand.

But Erica clearly wasn’t speaking for the cake, 

“Well, when I come home…I know I’ll have really great friends to return to!”

Friends. Everyone. Who is everyone? Him? Hajime? Shio? Rikai? Yusa? 

_Say it Mayuzumi! Tell her you like her before-_

But…then something hit his memory, something that Mizurou told him before. Something that would be going against his wishes…but it would be respectful to hers.

So in his own defeat, Mayuzumi decided that day to listen to his head instead of his heart and wished her luck and encouraged her…supported her decision.

“You’ll do great Erica, just don’t embarrass GOAT okay?”

“Will do!”

“And…I’ll be waiting for you here.” He muttered out the last bit so that maybe she wouldn’t catch on too quickly, that was the closest he could get to express his feelings right now. But she did, because she stared at him for a moment as if she were analyzing him, scanning to find any fault in his words perhaps. But he was honest with her; he did want Erica to have a good time but to also fulfill her duty. Though with it coming from him…would she find it fishy?

“Mayuzumi…turn your head for a second…you have some frosting on your face.”

“What?!” 

She fooled him good. She used that little trick so she could kiss his cheek by surprise! He wasn’t expecting that. By this point he was sure his face was bright red and his eyes didn’t know where to look other than at her for the moment. She seemed cool about it, as if this was nothing, and turned her body back towards the café’s door. 

Cool. That’s what she was.

“Wait- Erica-“

“You’re ride is here.” She said as the door closed behind her and there, waiting at the curb, was the car with Mizurou giving him thumbs up. 

Good god. He wouldn’t hear the end of it- no it was going to be broadcasted!  
Sulkily, Mayuzumi got into the back seat of the car to try avoiding the conversation…only to see that Mizuki came along for the ride too. Good, a distraction.

“Mayu! Me and mommy made cookies!” She exclaimed to him, holding a little bag with a couple of chocolate chip cookies it looked like, “We saved you some before uncle Juuzou could eat them all!”

“Ah…Thanks Mizuki,” He smiled weakly as he carefully took the bag from her and in return, placed the container with the cake in her lap, “Guess it’s a trade…Erica saved you a slice.”

“Yay! Thank you Erica!”

But there was no ignoring the elephant in the room, not even Mizurou could play this one totally cool.  
“So…how was the party?”

“It was…good. Just please…don’t tell anyone about-“

“I got’cha. I won’t say a thing. I see she was giving out party favors.” 

“Stop it Dad- Mizurou!”

The rest of the ride back to the Suzuya squad house was pretty quiet, especially since Mizuki passed out about half way home, but Mayuzumi’s phone was certainly screaming- from Hajime.

Well…this was going to be an ongoing cycle wasn’t it? Oh well…in his mind, a little bit of annoying Hajime was worth the kiss from Erica. 

 

\--

 

“Daddy! Mommy! Look at me!” A child, rushed her way through the thick field of flowers below her, cutting through them with ease as a Kakugan started to take over part of her face. Her parent’s, Furuta and Rize, watched in both fear and amazement, as their young daughter was already to take on a spectacular Rinkaku; one that was nearly identical to her mother’s. 

Though out of the two, Rize didn’t seem to care quite as much as Furuta as he rose from his seat and marvel at his child’s newly discovered weapon. Instead, Rize clutched onto the baby in her arms and stood back to observe. 

“Amazing Yuuko! Absolutely splendid! You’re already summoning your Kagune, that is quite the accomplishment.”

“Are you proud of me daddy?” the child was quick to extend her kagune over a wide area, cutting the tops of flowers and even destroying the coffee table causing her little brother to cry. Though it didn’t last long as it soon retrieved back into her body causing her to collapse to her knees. She looked a little disappointed but not discouraged, “Whoops.”

“It’s okay Princess,” Furuta assured, patting the top of the child’s head, “it takes time to get a feel for it at first. I’m just impressed you were able to wield it so early in life! You’re my eldest so I have some high hopes for you my girl.”

“Then I better keep training, right? To be strong like you!”

“That’s right! That way, once you’re strong enough, you and you’re brother will be able to take down Ken Kaneki and the rest of his silly little friends. You’ll even get to wear the crown.”

Guilty motivation. Furuta used sweet words to convince bitter motives on his children as they grew up in his former home, The Sunlit Garden, the perfect place to hide and prepare the hatchlings.

So, after being sent with a twisted truth, Yuuko made her way over to start training with Roma and Uta, leaving Furuta a moment with his queen.

“You’ve hardly said two words today, Rize dear, what’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? Did you see our beautiful Yuuko? I know she’ll make a wonderful queen of Tokyo one day.” But Rize showed no interest in engaging his presence any longer and instead turned herself away to make her way towards their home with baby Ryuu. “Ah…Tired? I understand. Oh well, I guess I could be busy doing something myself…like starting to come up with a plan.” A plan that would allow him to seep through the crakes without ever actually having to leave; if Furuta got caught he would be toast. 

Wait a second…he might be onto something. GOAT knows him…but they don’t know his children.  
Perhaps…they could play a game of hunter and gatherer of information; that would give Furuta a big advantage indeed. 

All good things happen in time. 

“I wonder how the other clowns will feel about this little idea.”

\--

“What’s it look like? Is he alive?” Saiko asked as she peaked around the corner of the hall where Brooke was waiting outside the bathroom door.  
After a couple of weeks, once things started to settle down after Erica’s departure, Brooke finally decided to tell Higemaru the big news…only his reaction was a little more of a mess than she expected. 

“Hardly, if he’s in there any longer I think his actual stomach will come out.” He brunette sighed ushering Saiko to come over, “like you’d think I’d be the one who’s getting sick…”

“So he didn’t take it well?”

“No, he was happy about it – he said he still wanted to chip in as much as he could…but the next thing I knew he bolted for the bathroom- stop laughing Saiko this is serious!”

But when Brooke was being serious…it was funny. Eventually, a pale and sickly Higemaru Touma emerged from the bathroom. In all the years Brooke knew him, she’d never seen him quite like this.  
Handing him a water bottle, she asked him, 

“You know, Touma…I just came here to tell you what happened. I didn’t say you had to be involved in it’s life or anything. I’m okay with-“

“No Brooke,” He choked out, carefully sipping on the beverage given to him, “No…I’m just as guilty as you – it was a team effort, and I’m not just going to walk away like nothing happened. Just because we’re not together anymore doesn’t mean I don’t want to be in that kid’s life; it’s our kid! I mean…we- I just-“

“It’s okay Touma…” Brooke assured, looking somewhat confused as she attempted to put a hand on his shoulder- though that just made it more awkward- okay so what to do? “Umm...I’m glad you want to, but are you sure?”

“Why are you asking that?”

“Because you threw up everything in your stomach…”

“Only because I can’t believe it! Me, I’m actually going to be a dad, though not in the way I thought I’d be- I guess I’m just still trying to let it sink in.”

“I think it fell out.” Saiko added with a chuckle, though only received a well-earned glare from the two of them. It went quiet for a moment…but Hige wanted to assure Brooke that he wasn’t going to give up on the child and that he would still be a good father and play his part. After all, it deserved that much. 

“Brooke, please know that I want to do whatever I can to help the kid…and to help you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Well…okay, if that’s really what you want then I won’t argue with you.” It was odd…but even for a moment Brooke almost wanted to hug him when she saw his face start to receive some colour again. But she decided to give him a high-five instead. 

 

“I’m sorry…Am I interrupting something?” Mutsuki asked from the top of the staircase, looking as if he was trying to understand what he just walked in on.

“You missed quite the show.” 

“Oh…? Well there are a couple of people down stairs I think you ought to meet.”

Meet? _Who?_

 

“Well isn’t this a roomy place?” A young boy, maybe a little older than the oggai, marched his way through the Chateau with both Urie and Hsiao behind him, “Do you guys have servants to go with this house?”

“Yes, he’s called Higemaru.” Hsiao answered bluntly, ushering the other new individual beside her into the living room where the rest of the Qs were now sitting and awaiting their arrival. A girl, around the boy’s age, stuck close to Hsiao as they both introduced themselves, 

“Hey roomies! I’m Ryuusen Tatsumichi, one of you’re new soon-to-be Quinx!”

“And I’m…Susu Sanzu, I’m excited to work with you!” 

The Quinx project was seen to be a success in the last battle, so Kaneki decided to extend the project to some new individuals, who are believed to make a great addition to the group!

Ryuusen, a cadet from the academy was specially selected to take the surgery and join in with the original quinx. He’s athletic, has an outgoing personality…though a little on the cocky side. 

Susu on the other hand, was a member of the Ihei branch line and therefore had the half human capacity for endurance and strength. Though she was more tentative compared to Ryuusen. 

 

With some new blood in the mix, and new possible cadets on the way, _GOAT_ was starting to have some high hopes for themselves in securing peace and tranquility in Tokyo; to take on the intimidating risks and find a way to swim with the help of friends and family. 

Ghoul or human, everyone has their fears, but it never hurts to have support and some TLC from loved ones. Because no matter how small the favor…it can make the difference in someone’s life, though if lead by manipulation, it’s the perfect TLC for rotting fruit.


	3. GOAT: The Lucky Ones.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At Nagisa's birthday, Brooke and Higemaru need to learn how to put aside their differences in order to give their daughter a happy first birthday. But cutting bridges isn't as easy as it seems.
> 
> As years pass, Ryuu want's to change Rize's beliefs and prove to her that he's lucky enough to free them from the garden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I first want to apologize for the long break between chapters as I've been very busy lately and have had little time to write. Thank you for understanding!
> 
> Also, this is the last chapter where all the children are young and will be their respective ages next time! <3
> 
> Thank you and enjoy! <33

_The children who were raised in the garden never knew the simple life – but that didn’t mean that they weren’t exposed to happiness at least once._

Even now, Rize can still faintly remember her early years in the garden when she was a just child. Though many of those years were hard on her body and draining on her soul, there were times and memories that even she will never let go. The uncomplicated days when Souta and her would play in the fields among hundreds of blooming flowers were precious days; when they could pretend to be children doing normal things like playing tag…in a cage.  
He was clumsy. She remembered how he used to trip over his own feet through the high grass and how she would pretend to tackle him and say how she wanted to eat him – then he would laugh. Souta was one of the golden children…but that didn’t make him popular among the other kids.  
Rize used to play with Hairu and Hsiao too, some of the strong and hopeful children, but they weren’t fond of Souta and would leave him out of their games. Though, she’ll never admit it outwardly, Rize believes that the only reason that Souta had feelings for her was because she actually paid attention to him, invited him to play with her, and treated him like he was like any other kid. 

But…karma has a funny way of working things. 

As soon as Rize snatched the opportunity to escape – the one that Souta offered her – she hit the ground running and didn’t want to ever look back at her past.  
No one can truly cut out their past, and she certainly learning that the hard way. 

 

Now, that she was back in the garden – mostly abandoned – it no longer looked like a cage; it was a prison. She was atoning for her sins by having her womanhood taken, her kagune stripped, playing the housewife, and taking care of the children that were forced onto her. _But this the price to pay for abandonment._

 

Today, the sky was overcast with grey clouds looming over the usually beautiful fields. Rize was inside the small house that she and Furuta lived in with their kids, a plain shack but had everything they needed to get by while in hiding. Sitting on the torn sofa in the living room, the purplette held onto her son, Ryuu, who was cooing softly to himself as he looked up at her with twinkling eyes. Smiling a bit, she moved some of his matching purple tuft to the side of his head only to have a chubby little finger grab at one of her own. In that instant, the purplette froze in place as Ryuu observed her finger and even stuck it in his mouth to suckle on. He was a clingy baby, It was hard for Rize to put him down otherwise he’d cry…but she enjoyed his company. He was the only one who never gave her a hard time. Though to say she loved him…that would be too strong of a word to use.  
Rize slipped her finger out of the baby’s mouth and instead retrieved a cotton cloth to south him. This gave them both the opportunity for some quiet time as they settled down for a nap together on the couch. But Rize didn’t have a chance to close her eyes before her other, and far more energetic, child bounced into the house and slammed the front door against the wall with a loud “ **bang** ” – Rize wanted to curse. 

“Hi mommy!” Yuuko, her young daughter, leaped into the house like a wild animal and jumped onto the sofa next to her and woke up her little brother in the process, “oops.” 

“Yuuko, how many times do I have to tell you not to jump on the furniture? I thought you were out training with your father.” Rize seethed, fixing a mewling Ryuu onto her shoulder,

“I was…but it’s raining now.”

“We cut the session short today,” then, the head of the household made his way over to where the rest of his family was gathered, much to Rize’s disgust, “She’s been progressing quite nicely so she deserves a little break.” Furuta said proudly, rubbing his daughter’s head. 

Their sessions had turned into more than just combat and technique, in-fact, they became much more intense and in-depth…even more so then when they were learning in the garden all those years ago.

Yuuko’s lessons involved combat with Roma and Rio,  
Reading and writing with Itori,  
And for fun, art lessons with Uta.  
But without a doubt, the most important lessons that she was being taught were her acting skills; vital for the plan that Furuta had scheming.  
Eventually, Ryuu would be following in his sister’s footsteps and would be learning similar skills and self-improvement…But Furuta also had some secret things reserved just for him. Furuta told Rize everything that he was planning, he kept no secrets from her, but that being said she didn’t always agree with everything he had set up, especially with the “enhancement” of their son.

“You can rest now too, Rize dear, I’ll take Ryuu from here” Furuta motioned for his partner to hand over the infant, “It’s time for his injections.”

Every time he said that word, Rize felt anger start to simmer in her blood. While finding the will to love her children was difficult for her at times, this baby was still hers nonetheless and the idea of harm made her furious. The injections were part of his enhancement; to inject Dr. Kanou’s specially formulated RC-cells into Ryuu while he was young in hopes of him being able to retain more than one kagune. Twice a week, Dr. Kanou and Furuta performed the small procedure – though exactly what they did was beyond Rize’s knowledge; in some ways she believed this ignorance was bliss. 

Biting her lower lip, Rize handed off her son to his father, though not without a scream as the infant tried to reach back for her. But Furuta shielded him carefully in his jacket, trying to keep his eyes away from his mother as he made his way to the door once again then out into the rain.  
Ryuu’s cries still managed to make their ways through the thin walls, penetrating all the way to Rize’s ears and causing her body to shake.

After a few moments, Yuuko gently shook her arm and looked at her mother curiously – unaware of what was going to happen to her baby brother.

“Mommy?” 

“Yes?”

“Can we read a story?”

“Maybe later...”

But re-reading the Secret Garden over-and-over again got tiring, she thought. 

\--

Time is a weird thing to think about.  
When measuring time and events – it can intimidate even the best.  
To some people…it passes by so fast that if they blink, they feel like they might miss a beat. That’s how Mizurou was perceiving things lately as he was watching his children grow right in front of his eyes. Mizuki was growing up so fast and really starting to discover her passions and hobbies. Everyday she was learning something new and nothing was more rewarding than seeing her excitement and wonder, as she was able to experience the simple pleasures of life. But even though Mayuzumi was much older than little Mizuki, that didn’t mean that seeing him grow up in his teen years, is any less rewarding. 

He’d come such a long way from when the young couple first took him in. Mayuzumi used to be bitter and strident, it was a fight for everyone in the household to try and come to terms with him or at least find a way to compromise. Furuta had twisted the oggai’s minds in such a way it was almost like they were programed robots. However, Mizurou and Michiko knew that they were signing up for a challenge by adopting him, but they also knew that there was more to him as an individual…the way he first interacted with Mizuki assured them that he was a good person, he just needed a little time and guidance.  
Patience was key and because they never gave up on him, Mayuzumi was getting better everyday and becoming more comfortable in the family. He was starting to take on responsibilities and even signed up to join GOAT’s Jr. Academy to take his first steps into becoming a full-fledged member of the organization! Though, he only seemed interested after his friend Erica left to help out overseas. Michiko was the one that struggled with allowing the boy to sign up, but she was able to accept only after Nakarai said that he was planning on joining the academy part-time as a professor. While he would be keeping an eye on Mayuzumi, Nakarai claimed that he wanted to be sure that all the young cadets would one day be ready to join the organization as prepared and educated young adults. 

_To put it plainly, while growing up might seem like a snail’s race for both Mayuzumi and Mizuki…to Mizurou, it was going far too quickly._

 

When you live in a house that’s usually full of playmates, it sure makes rainy days seem clear – at least to a 3 year old. However, while the rain has been keeping most people indoors, it’s made good progress for office work and thus leaving Mizuki without any playmates at all. 

It’s August – summer’s prime time - and the little girl just couldn’t seem to shake off her boredom with her parent’s and uncles not having a moment to spare the last few days. While she could easily have fun on her own for a certain amount of time, there just wasn’t any spunk or laughter without someone else to play with her.

Her dolls seemed dull without Daddy and uncle Juuzou’s funny voices.

Her stuffed animals weren’t engaged in her tea party discussions like uncle Hanbee usually was.

Playing board games by herself was…boring – she missed competing with Uncle Nakarai and her brother Mayuzumi. 

Reading books with Miyuki was usually boring too – but even she missed seeing how he’d sometimes take children’s books too literally. 

And what was the point of playing dressing up if there was no one there to admire you? Mommy would usually take photos and let her borrow her fancy jewelry…but she was busy too. 

So…if the fun couldn’t come to her…it seemed like that Mizuki would have to go find the fun herself. Or at least ask someone to amuse her for a while. After all, who could say no to a cute face like hers?

 

“Mommy!” Mizuki shouted as she was making her way down the stairs and into the Suzuya Squad’s kitchen where she found her mother chopping some veggies at the counter. At the kitchen table, Mayuzumi and Nakarai were busy working on the homework he’d received over the break, but of course that didn’t really cross the child’s mind in the moment, “MOMMY!”

“Mizuki! Use you’re inside voice please.” Michiko hushed, rushing across the room to fetch some tomatoes and dipped them under the running faucet. But her daughter never took scolding’s well and completely ignored her mother’s words and rushed up to her side, pestering by tugging on her skirt.

“But mommy I’m bored…”

“Well…why don’t you colour in one of your activity books at the table?”

“But I don’t want to.”

“What about that new play set we bought for you a few days ago?”

“I played with it already.” 

“Well then- oh where’s the-“ but when Michiko tried to make her way back over to the counter, Mizuki tugged on her skirt again, though this time it was more of a yank, “Mizuki!”

“I’m bored! There’s nothing to do!” the young child stomped her foot and pouted her lip – a common action she took when she wasn’t getting her way – but Michiko hardly gave in and yanked her skirt from the child’s grasp, “no one want’s to play with me! You’re all too busy for me!”

“Stop whining young lady, I won’t tolerate it and no one else in this room needs to hear it either. I’m sorry that we’re busy but you need to learn how to amuse yourself once in a while. I gave you plenty of suggestions of things to do and it’s up to you to fix your boredom.” It was clear that Mizuki wasn’t too pleased with the response as the corner of her eyes were starting to bead; that was not Michiko’s intension but she had to put the child in her place. However in her daughter’s defense, she’d been pretty patient with putting up with her independent-playtime for the most part. So with a heavy sigh, Michiko stopped what she was doing and knelt down to child’s height so that she was eye level. Reaching out both her hands to cup her cheeks, Michiko wiped away her tears and smiled a little, “Look, I know that we’ve all been busy, but I promise we’re not too busy for you. Me, your Daddy, and all your uncles have just been caught up in some work…you know Furuta right?”

“Yeah.” She sniffled,

“Well, we’ve got to keep on top of him in case he strikes again. We’ve got to be prepared at all times.”

 

“That’s right,” Mizurou’s voice entered the room, making his way over to where his wife and child were standing, “because he’s a slippery one.”

“Slippery?” Mizuki giggled at her father’s response, “really?” 

“Yep, just like soap when you drop it in the bath.” 

“Wow…great comparison.” Mayuzumi scoffed from the table only to be chided by Nakarai to keep his attention on the schoolwork. 

But then Mizuki looked thoughtful for a moment, glancing down at the ground for a moment before looking back at her parent’s, her big emerald green eyes hinted with concern,

“He sounds scary. But…you’re going to stop him…right daddy?” 

Mizurou wasn’t sure how to answer that question right now. With the little leads they had on him…there was no telling what was going to happen or even if he was even still alive. All he knew for sure that was if he ever saw him again, face-to-face, he wouldn’t be able to keep calm…not after what he did to Mizuki – to Michiko – to everyone. But she was still too young to understand, and Mizurou wanted her to hold onto that innocence for as long as she could.

So, doing the only thing he knew how to do in the moment, Mizurou lifted his daughter up into his arms and hugged her tightly, 

“Don’t worry Muffin...you’re safe with us, I promise we’ll always protect you. But if we ever see him again…we’ll stop him.” 

_We will stop him…I won’t let him come near you ever again._

Then, his wife came up next to him and kissed him on the cheek and leaned her head on his shoulder. But their quick, touching moment was brought to a stop once they heard someone clear their throat from the doorway…there stood both Marie and Koharu. 

“Huh? When did you-“ Michiko nearly choked on her own saliva when she spotted two of her friends causally standing in the Suzuya Squad’s kitchen – both with presents in their hands and smirks on their faces.

Marie answered,

“Suzuya let us in…” She motioned to the special class that was standing off to the side, “don’t tell me you forgot about Nagisa’s birthday party today.” 

“Party? What party? Can I come?” Mayuzumi asked eagerly as he was already standing up from his seat and attempting to close one of his books, “I need a break.”

However, Michiko didn’t seem as eager or prepared as her son as she took a moment to ponder on a response. With all eyes on her, she had to try and deny that she indeed forgot.

“Me? Forget? Absolutely not!” the woman casually stuck her nose in the air and pretended to dust off her clean shirt, “I never forget a social event! See!” then she grabbed a random bottle of wine from the fridge – Rosé – and presented it confidently. However…no one in the room believed her as they all held back a laugh.

“Yes, I’m sure a 1 year old will appreciate some bubbly.” Koharu joked, nudging Marie, “It’s okay to admit you forgot Michiko, we’re all friends here, we make mistakes.”

“I-I didn’t!” Her denial wasn’t helping her case, especially now that Nakarai was laughing along with them. Oh well, “okay maybe I did forget. But I’m sure Brooke will like the wine…right? Hey Mizuki, looks like your boredom is about to end…I bet Masanori and the others will be there.”

“Yay!”

“I bet we’re going to be talking with Erica!” Mayuzumi said, “So I’m-“

“Hey, aren’t you going to ask your teacher if you’re allowed to go first?” Nakarai asked flatly, grabbing the boy by the back of the shirt. With a loud gulp, Mayu asked, 

“Umm…Can I go Mr. Nakarai?”

“Hmm…” For a moment, it almost seemed like he wasn’t going to let him leave, and that’s when Marie stepped in to try and persuade him. 

“You should come too Nakarai. You never know, it might be fun.”

“Kitami…” Marie’s cheeks were a light pink hue as the blond man’s eyes glared at her suspiciously – as if he was trying to see if she was being serious or just trying to crack a joke. Eventually he decided to trust her judgment and let the boy go and decided to come along as well, though not without complaining, “I don’t know what fun I’ll get out of this party…There’s plenty of other ways I can be spending my time…but I guess I can help Mayuzumi study in the car.”

“That’s the spirit!” she exclaimed happily, walking next to him on the way out of the house almost with a skip in her step, “you know I think it’ll be fun having you come along!” then, stopping in the door way, Marie used Nakarai’s shoulder to lean on so she could slip on one of her shoes. Though it was her usual behavior to forget formalities at times, Nakarai didn’t seem bothered as he leaned down a little bit so that he was more level with her. Wait, were they ever this close before? He could even smell her perfume…

“Actually Marie…”

“Hmm?”

“I’m going to test your basic academy knowledge on the way there too. When was the last time you checked up on the new curriculum?” 

“Eh?! A Quiz?! Booo.”

“Well then maybe everyone should participate then…except Mizuki.”

Indeed it was going to be a long ride to the party…for everyone.

 

\--

 

The time from when Brooke had first announced her pregnancy to Higemaru, to the day of his daughter’s first birthday had gone by in a flash. Nagisa herself might not yet understand the importance of a 1st birthday, but she sure seemed excited to have everyone over and having all the attention on her.

“About time you showed up,” Brooke huffed as she opened the front door of the Quinx’s Chateau with baby Nagisa hanging off her hip, only to show a brain-dead Suzuya Squad, “Geez, what’s up with you?”

“Let’s just say that we got some privet tutoring on the Jr. Academy’s school system.” Michiko sighed, handing her friend the bottle of wine to which she took eagerly. 

“Well…liven up a little. It’s a party you know.”

But as soon as she let the guests inside the house, Higemaru was quick to rush over to Brooke’s side and take the baby into his own arms,

“Brooke, don’t hold Nagisa that way!” He said in concern, seeing if the child seemed affected in any way but she seemed to be just fine as she reached out to poke him in the eye, “Ow…! She’s still little you know! Don’t treat her like you would Hajime!”

But the mother on the other hand showed no signs of defeat and rolled her eyes as she cradled the Rosé bottle,

“Get your panties out of a knot. I do that with her all the time – she’s fine! She’s got more of a back bone than you.”

This wasn’t an unusual scene for anyone to see. Brooke and Touma got into arguments quite often and even more so over their daughter. The Quinx and Beta-Quinx knew to never interfere other wise they would get dragged in dead or alive. However, it was usually Hsiao that was brave enough to step in and remove the baby from the bickering. Nagisa was the innocent one out of it – little or not, she didn’t need to see or hear any of their revile.  
And this was one of those times.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Hsiao pushed her way over to Higemaru and took the child out of his arms as the baby looked like she was about to cry,

“Can you two stop for a moment and remember it’s Nagisa birthday.” it was hard to believe that she had to remind them of how to act, but this day was about their daughter and they had to put their differences aside for now.

 

So much had happened in just less than 2 years, in more ways than just the infant’s development stages, but in his relationship with the brunette herself. Least to say, the two had very different ideas when it came to parenting, Hige was conservative and wanted to raise his daughter to the books, Brooke on that other hand had her own way of handling things that were unique and far less traditional. Of course…having these two parenting styles wouldn’t be so much of an issue if they were together…but they weren’t. 

“When’s cake?” Hajime asked, sitting on the couch with Mayuzumi and the zero squad that all looked interested in partaking in that event. 

But just at that moment, both Suzu and Saiko came back with two pretty little cakes, a big one for everyone to have a slice, and a little chocolate cake just for Nagisa! The baby looked so excited to see the cakes that Hsiao caught her drooling. 

“I want to make sure that my god-daughter has the best of the best when it comes to sweets, that’s why I asked Suzu to help bake the cakes...Who knew she had such a knack for baking?!” Saiko said as she placed the small cake on the highchair’s tray. But before little Nagisa even had a chance to be put down, Masanori, Shouhei, Mizuki, and even Ichika were already poking their fingers in the sides to try and sneak some icing…that didn’t go over well with Touka as she pulled back the four kids.

“Children! That’s not for you! You’ll get some cake in a bit-” 

“Never mind Touka, Nagisa didn’t even notice.” The brunette replied casually, watching as her daughter eyed her cake; she wasn’t even sitting down in the chair before her own tiny hands were crushing their way through the dessert! 

Saiko laughed and nudged Higemaru, “Have fun changing that diaper later Hige!”

“Thanks Saiko…”

Though every time she tried to put a fistful of cake into her mouth…it ended up either all over her face, on Oscar the Otter, or all over the floor. But it was cute nonetheless, and neither Brooke nor Hige could really complain. If it was one thing they could both agree on…it was that they both had high hopes for her, that she’d be able to do anything she wanted - the sky was the limit for her.

Of course, the baby didn’t finish the entire cake but that was mostly due to the fact that most of it didn’t make it to her mouth. By this time, the main cake had all been sliced and served to the guests – devoured by most – and now it was time to set up Brooke’s laptop so that they could all skype her sister overseas!

This being the event that Mayuzumi had been greatly looking foreword to. 

“Alright, everyone ready?” Brooke asked, glancing around at everyone piled up behind her so that they could see, “okay, hopefully she’s still awake, it pretty late over there.”

But it seemed like the younger Akita had been waiting to receive that call because she answered within moments, and Mayuzumi’s heart pounded against his chest when he saw her face.

“ **HI ERICA!** ” Everyone shouted in unison, the poor girl on the other end looked embarrassed as she hid her laugh behind her hand. 

“Oh- Hey guys. How is everyone doing? Where’s my niece?”

“Right here!” Brooke laughed, lifting the child so that she was filling the entire camera frame, “Say hi to auntie Erica!” 

Erica squealed,

“Happy Birthday kiddo! I sent you a gift so it should come in the mail soon.”

“Aw, we miss you here. It’s not the same without you little sis.” 

“I know…I wish I was there with you guys.” Her voice seemed to trail off, and Mayuzumi often wondered if she ever did consider coming back home…No, Erica knows her job lies over there for now…and she wouldn’t come back over a little case of homesickness. She was strong that way.  
But the quiet moment was soon brought to an end as soon as Hajime swiped the laptop from the table and lifted it up so that all she could see was Hajime and the zero squad behind him, 

“Hajime!”

“You know, thanks to you, I’ve had to make friends with these losers.” 

“Good for you! So are you like a honorary member of the zero squad or something?” 

The boy quickly turned his head to look back at Rikai, Shio, and Yusa whom were all shaking theirs heads. But Hajime tried to impress her anyways,

“Yep! I got the coat and everything.” He lied. But Erica knew better than to believe his tales and rolled her eyes,

“Well…send me pics.”

“I will…Psst, I’m going to need to borrow your coat Shio.”

The laptop made it’s way around the room and basically everyone asked her the same things like how she was doing? How her summer break was – not that she really had one. Did she make any new friends? How the mission was going? Stuff like that. But Mayuzumi never got the chance to have time to talk to her before she had to sign off for the night.

_Figures._

“I’m sorry we didn’t have long Mayuzumi…is it okay if we talk later? It’s almost 2 in the morning here.” Though he was disheartened – out of everyone in the room he was the one who never had a chance to say much – he respected her request and brushed off his emotions,

“Yeah, that’ fine. Maybe tomorrow?” 

“Sure, I’d like that.” Then once everyone said their good byes and signed off from the computer, Mayuzumi sort of felt happy and was looking foreword to being able to talk with her alone. Maybe that would be better anyways. 

 

However, the party itself didn’t last much longer as Nagisa had crashed only a few minutes after the video chat along with some of the other younger children, this being the sign for most groups to take their leave.  
By the end of the night, the only one who stayed to help Higemaru and Brooke clean up was Hajime…after all he had to leave with Brooke so he might as well help out a little. 

“It’s okay, Nagisa can stay with me tonight.” Higemaru said as he put the last plate away, “She’s already asleep upstairs…it would be rude to move her now.”

“You sure?” Brooke lifted a brow, rolling down her sleeves and fixing her glasses, “I mean I don’t mind bringing her home.”

“This is her home too you know.” 

“Yeah, but don’t you think she’d be better with me?”

“She’s already asleep! Besides I have tomorrow off so I can watch her for the day.”

“I don’t want her to be an inconvenience to you Touma!”

“How is watching my own daughter an inconvenience?!”

“Can you two shut up!?” Hajime barked, “God you can’t breath the same air and you both fight! Let’s just go home already, he said he’d watch her so just say yes you hag!” 

Normally this is when Brooke would grab the child behind the neck like a cat and tell him to be quiet. But maybe she already used up all her energy by arguing with Hige. So, tossing down a dishtowel in the sink, the two took their leave.

“Right…Let’s go. Night Touma.”

Whenever that brunette left, things were always much more peaceful. It allowed Hige to think to himself for a moment for what went sideways between them…he’d never tell anyone but in some ways he still loved Brooke. Your first love always stays in your heart…no matter how hard you fight to try and remove it.  
So, once he turned off all the lights down stairs, he went up to check in on Nagisa. Peaking inside the room, he saw that she was fast asleep in her crib and holding tightly onto her otter. 

He never knew what the infant found so desirable about that old, dirty plush…but he figured that she liked it since it smelled like her mother – a comfort object.  
Smiling, he quietly entered the room, walked over to the crib and leaned down to kiss his daughter on the forehead. In return, she let out a yawn.

“I love you so much, Nagisa. No matter what happens between your mom and me; you’re always my top priority. Don’t you ever doubt that…goodnight sweetheart.”

 

 

As years passed, this lifestyle that Furuta had his family function in was starting to become a routine – a bad habit.  
The clowns that were helping assist in this dump were willing to go along with whatever he had planned, even their leader thought it was a good way to past the time as she dedicated all her efforts into helping the children grow into fine soldiers.  
Rize never took part in the events directly and found herself more at peace in the run down house. While she wanted to blame luck for her situation…she knew there was no such thing.  
The children were learning how to survive in their environment and it was shaping them the more they grew into it. They didn’t know anything else aside from what they were being told…so what else could they believe is the truth? 

Yuuko was growing into an enthusiastic fighter, showing no mercy in her attacks, jumping her opponents to have a little bit of fun, getting that much closer to going on her first real mission. It was clear to see that Furuta had plenty of faith in her as he always made sure to praise her when she got one step closer to even defeating him! That was the kind of energy needed if she was going to defeat Ken Kaneki one day!  
However…Ryuu didn’t seem to show that same kind of spirit and did the bare minimum to get through his opponents. Unlike his sister, he didn’t waist any time to see suffering…but then again he also had an advantage over her by having three kagunes. On top of her Rinkaku, Ryuu was able to produce a Bikaku and a Koukaku – this all thanks to the continuous RC doses that his father and Dr. Kanou gave him weekly. He might only be a kid, but his strength was already rivaling that of most of the Clowns. The only kagune that he was yet to formulate was an Ukaku, and Furuta was harping on Ryuu to train harder and take more injections. 

“NO father! Stop! I don-“ Now that he was older, trying to get Ryuu to sit still for his injections was becoming more and more of a challenge as he started to resist. Though while it might seem harsh, the only way that the Dr and Furuta were able to keep the child still was by putting him in a chair, and cuffing his hands behind his back. His entire body shook as he sat in the lab with Furuta observing him from the front and the Dr on his side prepping the needle, “I don’t want this! It hurts! Make it stop father! Let me out!”

“A little pain is worth a perfect world, Ryuu…” Furuta smiled and patted his son in the head, nearly having the child bite his fingers off! “You’ll understand when you’re older…”

“I don’t want to understand! AGGGGRGh!” A moment is all Kanou needed for the boy to be distracted, the needle went right into the side of the boy’s neck and the enhancement was pushed in! The bloody cry shook the room around them as Ryuu’s body started to vibrate uncontrollably as the overwhelming amount of manipulated RC cells were shooting into his blood stream. “Mother! MOTHER! It Burns!”

“Your mother isn’t here right now,” Furuta said over the child’s screams, “Calm down son and think about developing another kagune…your ukaku.”  
But Ryuu didn’t want to think about forming another kagune, he wanted to go home and stay close to Rize – the only one who didn’t force him to fight.  
A sudden wave of nausea hit his system as Ryuu looked up at his father’s chilling grin, a sickening grin that showed no hint of kindness. Leaning over, the child hurled up blood and wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. 

_Don’t look at me like that. Not with that face._

He should be used to this procedure by now, he’s been doing this since the day he was born, and yet he couldn’t get past that conniving smile.

Once the room went quiet, Furuta spoke,

“Kanou…let’s add one more dose…Lets push his system into overdrive.”

Ryuu’s stomach rose into his throat. A second dose in one day…they’ve never done that before…what would happen if he-?

“Sir…” but even Kanou looked concerned by the request and crocked a brow towards the other man, “you do realize what you’re saying? If we put more into his system within a short period of time he could die from the shock!”

“But what if he doesn’t? What would happen then?”

“He…His body would go into overdrive…like you said.”

“Then add some more! Don’t you see, if he can produce another kagune we’ll be that much closer into sending them on their first mission! Yuuko is more than ready…it’s just him that we’re waiting on. Now fill up that needle!”

Kanou seemed hesitant to obey, but he did so with a heavy sigh, filling another needle with the RC cells and aiming it for the same spot as before.  
Ryuu still tried to fight back by avoiding the injection, but stood no chance as this time it went in more forceful than the last! Without a doubt the rush was more intensified and the urge within his chest started to overpower that of his usual heart rate! His body felt like it was burning through the inside and his back was so itchy that he wanted to rip it open! Then, just as his father had wished, an Ukaku emerged out of his back along with his other three kagune’s that started to expand and hit things around the room! Breaking beakers and knocking over boxes, both Kanou and Furuta had to stand back as he was starting to loose control of himself!  
The single Kakugan on Ryuu’s right eye was starting to expand further across his face; it even had a pulse. But all he could see was red when he glanced at his father who stood in place with a satisfied look on his face – he almost looked proud! 

“There you go Ryuu! See I knew you could do it! You’re able to wield all 4 kagune’s!”

This pushed Ryuu over the edge, a tool – was that all he was?!  
Breaking free from his restraints, Ryuu didn’t seem to have any intension of backing down now as he was confronting his father – with all his kagune’s ready to attack! The adrenaline and overwhelming power running through his veins were the only things that were truly in control of his body…and those two things he was yet to master. Ryuu had no control over his kagune’s at the moment and when he tried to attack his father the Rinkaku came back around and ended up impaling part of his own face! Scrapping layers of skin clean off of his left side and other numerous parts of his body. The pain of the injections was nothing compared to that of his searing and oozing body, and he couldn’t stop himself! 

“HELP ME! ARGAHHH IT HURTS IT HURTS!” he was being suffocated by his own weapons and with nothing to stop him…he was sure that he was going to die. However, Kanou was quick to retrieve a large can of RC suppressant and sprayed it to try and calm down the kagune’s. Luckily, it managed to work and Ryuu was able to have his body back in control – though beaten to the core. It took too much energy to even cry as Ryuu fell to the ground and everything went black. 

 

His body was drenched in his own blood…he didn’t even remember passing out – he was sure he was dead – but instead he awoke in his own bed wrapped in bandages. Next to him was his mother and sister – neither looked overly concerned…but he was glad to see them sitting next to him.

“Mother…” He choked out, already on the verge of tears, “I was scared…”

“I know.” She replied flatly,

“You sure are lucky Ryuu! I though you were a goner!” Yuuko said only to be hushed by her mother,

“Now Yuuko, there’s no such thing as luck. Even if there was…I think that this family would have none.”

_No luck…What even was luck?_

“Mother…what is luck anyways?” Yuuko asked with a tilt of her head, “Daddy says there is luck…but you say there’s none.”

“Luck is potential. You’re father thinks that we’re rich and have lots…but we have none.”

Potential, the capability of being able to master something great…at least that’s how Ryuu viewed it. Furuta must have seen potential in Ryuu and Yuuko…seen them as if they were lucky. If Ryuu had some more luck, luck that he could keep only for himself, then maybe he could give that luck to his mother and sister and they could escape this place forever. Yeah, that’s it! He needed to train more, pull Furuta by his own strings and take that luck all for himself. 

“Mother…I have luck! I have lots of it!” Ryuu said, smiling little as he looked over at his mother.

“Do you…?”

“Yes! I have enough luck for all of us. Me, you, and Yuuko too. We’re going to get out of here.”

Yuuko just laughed when her brother expressed how lucky he thought he was and Rize looked angry by his words, biting her lip she spoke quietly,

“Don’t say things like that…you’re not impressing anyone. Like I said, there’s no such thing as luck.”

But Rize’s disbelief didn’t hurt Ryuu in a way that she might’ve though it might. Instead…it carved motivation into his heart to push himself to get better, to work harder, and prove to her that he had enough luck to give them all a better life – a life away from _him._


	4. GOAT: Growing Pains. Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the start of the new school year, Masanori's mischief isn't fazed when he finds out he has the hardest teacher in the school, Miza Kusakari. But when the GOAT kids encounter some bullies out on the turf, things take a turn for the worst when Shouhei's Kagune evolves!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out! 
> 
> Well I think I'm getting back into the swing of things again, so I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

Ryuu watched as blood trickled down the tips of his fingers. The pain lasted only for a moment, just enough to make him wince, but the blood managed to stain the petals of the white rose he was holding.   
While the garden didn’t grow many luxurious flowers, in season it managed to allow a few rare species to bloom. The original Washuu’s left these behind; these flowers were the only nice things they left behind.   
Licking the blood off his pricked finger, Ryuu continued to weave the flower into crown he was creating out of grass and stems. _Though it was pretty to look at, it was too painful to actually wear._

He smiled as he held his creation, admiring his craftsmanship under the clear sky. Ryuu preferred being alone out here, just him and the flowers, as they could only hurt him by his own faults, not by the hands of the adults. But before he could hide his crown under the rose bush, he was suddenly interrupted by one of the Clowns. 

“Let’s have a look.” Uta didn’t startle the boy, but it was clear that he had no intension of displaying his work to anyone as he continued to carefully place it under the thorny Rose bush. Uta chortled, “Ah…so small enough for you to reach, but if I grabbed it I would cut myself…well aren’t you canny.”

“Uncle Uta…I don’t want to show it off…it’s just for me…”

“Art for art’s sake?”

“What does that mean?” 

Uta lead the boy by the shoulder, away from the shrubs, to take a walk through the grass of the small meadow nearby. He didn’t turn back and instead respected the child’s wishes of keeping it a secret. “It means to do art because you want to do it; for leisure. It doesn’t need to have any meaning if you do not want it to.” 

“Oh…Then I guess that’s what I was doing.”

Ryuu wouldn’t say that making flower crowns or creating art was his hobby; he just personally liked the distraction. He had been training ceaselessly with his sister Yuuko for months on end. From the moment the sun rose until it set, they were out preparing with their father and the clowns for the upcoming mission to destroy Ken Kaneki and GOAT. No one knew exactly when Furuta was planning on going through with this plan, he never let anyone in on his thoughts these days, so for now they all just had to have faith in that he knew what he was doing. Whatever it was, Ryuu didn’t care; he just wanted to get his mother and sister out of this awful place. He knew that he must’ve had enough luck by this point to be able to manipulate whatever came his way. After all, Furuta may have forced strength and power onto him, but he couldn’t control every aspect of how his son used it.

After parting ways with Uta, Ryuu made his way back towards the tiny cracking house that he lived in with his family. It must be dinnertime...he could smell the freshly cut meat from the doorway.

“Where’d you run off to?” Yuuko demanded, stomping her foot on the wooden floor, “You missed the last session of the day!” He could see from behind his towering older sister that his father was already seated at the table, though he seemed to be content. Whatever.

“I decided to take a break today.” Ryuu snarled, slipping past Yuuko and taking a seat next to Rize where his food was waiting for him. His sister continued to scold him for missing out, and kept insisting on explaining himself for his laziness, and then chose to brag how she would surpass him. Eventually, Furuta did intervene. 

“Settle down Yuuko, everyone deserves a break now and then.” He said wistfully, “Besides, I think that it’s a good thing that he decided to conserve his energy.”

“Why’s that?” She asked. But now both Rize and Ryuu were looking towards Furuta, confused on exactly what he meant…But Ryuu’s stomach suddenly felt heavy as he interpreted what was about to come their way. Calmly, Furuta rose from his seat, leaving most of his own meal unfinished and lead his two children out of the room. 

“Where are you going?” Rize asked, clearly puzzled on what the sudden urgency was about. But Furuta insisted that his wife should follow along as well, pulling her close to him with his hand around her waist, though she looked distasteful.

“If I told you that would ruin the surprise.”

“I hate surprises…”

“Me too.” Ryuu muttered under his breath, but his father didn’t seem to care in the slightest. 

When they stepped out onto the porch, Dr. Kanou and Roma were waiting for them, and whenever Kanou was involved, Ryuu knew for certain that something terrible was about to happen. So in a childish manner, Ryuu darted behind Rize, afraid that he might be sent for more injections. Yuuko laughed at her brother before she eagerly ran over to hug Roma, 

“Auntie Roma, why are you here so late? It’s dinner time!” the little girl smiled as her favourite aunt patted her on the head, 

“I know, but your father and I have a surprise for you and Ryuu,” Then the short woman glanced over to the Rize, her son peaking from behind her and glaring towards the other adults, “Come out, we’re not gonna bite you know.” But Ryuu had no intension of leaving his mother’s side, so he came out enough only to be able to see what was happening in front of him. Rize put a hand on her son’s shoulder and gave her husband a chilling glance, clearly puzzled by this sudden intrusion,

“Nimura what is going on!” she asked sharply, “I don’t want to repeat myself again…so answer me!” Her tone was bitter and almost scary, enough so that even Yuuko started to back away from her aunt and stand next to her mother. Furuta sucked in his breath as he looked over to the Dr, encouraging him to be the first to speak.

“Well, as you know,” the elderly man picked up some papers from the porch table and handed them over to Rize for her to look at, though what they contained were charts and equations that even she couldn’t make out properly, “me and Roma have been working diligently with both of the children for the past few months, monitoring their strength, agility, stability, and other personal diagnostics. As I’ve been told, Roma has also been helping the children learn a few other skills that will surly be useful while they are among GOAT’s representatives.” The skills that Kanou was referring to were more or less talents that Ryuu despised having learnt, and yet he was able to master them along side his sister. The ways of lying and manipulation were tactics that allowed them to lure in their enemies and dispose of them quickly, that’s why Roma advised that they know how to use these skills properly, because they are what helped her when she was working along side the queen and some of her friends at one point. 

Then at last, Furuta brought up the plan and what they were expecting to do to get the children into GOAT’s heart. Indeed, all of their training would pay off as they’d have to be cunning and swift in both their actions and their words; any slip up and GOAT would probably arrest them, or worse, Ryuu and Yuuko would have to fight their way through to the crown directly. This wouldn’t be a quick operation regardless of what happens, but the key was to build trust and then strike when they would least expect it.   
Furuta would send the Clowns out every so often to collect information or to set up traps if they found an opportunity. 

Hysterical, Rize tossed the papers into the air, letting them scatter across the wide-open field that their house looked over. Though it didn’t seem to bother Kanou.

“So what are you trying to say? You think that they’re ready to proceed with this ‘mission’ you’ve all been discussing?” her fists began to clutch into tight balls. 

“That’s right.”

Then, Rize’s eyes darted over to Furuta, clearly on the verge of rage, “They’re children – YOUR children! You’re actually planning to send them out to their deaths? When you said you were preparing them for this…I thought they wouldn’t go through with it until they were older – when Kankei will be on his death bed!”

“We can’t wait!” Furuta said appalled, “yes, the king would be older, but have you forgotten about _their_ children? They’re probably training to fight us as we speak! We’ve got to attack while we have the advantage! Rize…do you want to stay here forever hiding in isolation?” 

Ryuu and Yuuko looked at each other before glancing up at their mother, her fists started to relax. Furuta smiled at his minor victory, “There, see? Let’s make sense of this situation.”

“Nothing about this situation makes sense…clown.” Seeing how his mother deflated in defeat, Ryuu reached to hold her hand, but she didn’t return the grasp and instead approached Furuta with long strides and demanded something that would shock everyone,

“Let me go along with the children.”

“R-Rize you-“

“Let me go with them!” She said again, moving herself up against her husband so that their faces were only inches apart, “having two children show up out of no where would be suspicious, don’t you think? If I were with them, and could explain, we would be able to get into the heart of the organization more easily.” 

Furuta’s eyes widened and his cheeks flushed as he pulled her close him to embrace her, laughing joyfully, “You’re going to play an interesting card; I like it! Rize my dear, you are brilliant!” 

Furuta was right, Rize was brilliant, but not in the ways he thought she was. Ryuu couldn’t quite understand what she was secretly plotting, but he knew it probably wasn’t in Furuta’s favour. He was lucky enough, he was sure of it, to wiggle his way through these bars. Like he was taught…he’d have to lie and act his way through this operation. 

\-- 

Despite his prediction to persuade Rize, Furuta couldn’t be more wrong when he said that the children of GOAT were preparing to take on the Clowns. These children were living in the establishment’s shadows, growing up and learning how humans and ghouls can live alongside each other in peace. Most of their time was spent in school and playing games with each other…and of course getting into their usual mischief. The children of GOAT were just like any other group of kids, curious and innocent about the world around them…well, more or less. 

The following morning, at the Suzuya Squad’s house, things were pretty much running as usual. Everyone was moving about to attend to his or her own schedules, oddly enough they were all organized…but only for one reason. Michiko, who acted as like their den mother, kept them all up do date on their daily tasks.   
She was always the first one to get up, today being no exception, and was busy making breakfast for the group who each made their way down the stairs individually. 

“Morning, Michiko.” Nakarai greeted the young woman from the staircase, already dressed and ready for the day it seemed. 

“Good Morning, Keijin. Coffee?” She asked, even though she was already pouring him a cup. He nodded, taking a seat at the kitchen table and already flipping his fingers through the paper. He never was much for talking in the mornings.  
Nakarai was usually the next one to wake up, he liked to get up early so that he could read the paper quietly with a cup of coffee before all the hooligans came down. 

Then, slowly, everyone else started to make his or her way into the kitchen as Michiko started to hand out breakfast.

“Please, let me assist you.” Hanbee offered, already putting on his apron and overseeing the preparation. He was a good cook, but these days, he started to take over meals completely and insisted that she should sit down, “I can finish the rest, I don’t mind.”

“Hanbee…” She laughed at his protectiveness and even shooed him from her kitchen, “I’m fine, really, now here take this and sit with your husband.” She pointed towards Juuzou that was eagerly patting the seat next to him. Eventually, Hanbee gave in, getting an extra plate for Juuzou as well. Now with everyone out of her way, for the time being, Michiko continued to finish preparing the plates so that they were ready for the remaining individuals. Now she could start cleaning up. 

To some, this might have seemed impractical and unfair, but Michiko liked helping out. After all, the Suzuya Squad had always been good to her and welcomed her with open arms. They were her family; all of them, and as the motherly figure Michiko didn’t mind looking out for them on return. 

But once again, she was interrupted as she felt someone’s arms wrap around her from behind and lay their head on her shoulder.

“Mhmm.” 

“Are you tried, Mizurou darling?” a smile tugged at her lips when her husband gave her a kiss on the cheek, refusing to let go of her. But he was keeping her from finishing her task, “Mizurou…”

“You’re amazing…you know that?” and he kissed her again, “and beautiful,” and again, “And you always smell so nice.” And again; now he was just being annoying.

“Mizurou, what’s with all the compliments? Sit down and eat so I can finish the dishes!” she tried to wiggle free, but he just wouldn’t give up. Soon, his hands started to move down so they were now over her abdomen, where he rested them on top of the small bump. 

Michiko found out that she was pregnant with her second (biological) child not too long ago. Everyone was really excited to hear the news and were all looking foreword to yet another addition to their large household. Though personally, Michiko thought it might become a bit crowded around here once this baby arrives. But that’s a problem for another time.

“No, Michi, I can finish the dishes,” Mizurou whispered, his breath tickled her ear and earned him a giggle. Luckily, there was a wall between the table and the location of the sink, so their playful moment was privet…at least for a few seconds.

“Get a room. I think I lost my appetite” It wasn’t until Mayazumi entered the kitchen where they finally took a step back, Mizurou’s cheeks were flushed but Michiko managed to stay calm and shoved a plate into the teen’s hands,

“Be thankful that your parents love each other.” But Mayazumi just rolled his eyes. 

“Good Morning, Mama!” Mizuki Tamaki greeted her mother as she made her way down the stairs, twirling around in a pretty blue dress that was covered in sparkles. A dress that was far too fancy to wear to school…But once Michiko looked closer, she could see that she was wearing make up as well. _Her_ make up.

“Mizuki Tamaki…what on earth are you wearing?!”

“My new dress!” she laughed, doing a twirl so that her outfit could sparkle on the floor, “You said I could wear it.”

“For special occasions! Sweetheart, you have school today, you should be in your uniform!”

Like usual, this didn’t go over well with Mizuki as she wasn’t getting what she wanted. So, the 7 year old pouted her lip and stomped her foot, trying to defend her side,

“But Mama!” She whined, “it’s hot, and itchy, and I have to wear the same exact thing as everyone else! No one notices me in that ugly thing!”

Funny enough, they’ve had the same argument for years. Mizuki always disliked looking the same as everyone else, she wanted to be expressive in her attire, which Michiko wanted to support but couldn’t go against the school’s policy. 

“Don’t talk to me like that young lady, honestly I doubt you’re the only one who hates wearing a uniform. But you’ll get in trouble if you don’t wear it. I also don’t think the teachers will like seeing you all dolled up in make-up. You’re only 7 years old!” then, leaning down for a closer look, Michiko could also see that Mizuki had taken a firm hold of how to use mascara which was heavily coated on her eye lashes. The last time she checked, Mizuki didn’t have any mascara of her own, “and you were snooping into my make-up without permission weren’t you?” The child was caught red handed. She couldn’t try to fib this time as her face fell towards the floor. 

“I just wanted to look pretty…like you.” And for a second, Michiko’s heart skipped a beat. She was touched that her young daughter admired her, in fact, she was even honoured, but again she couldn’t go against the school’s policy and had to request that Mizuki wash her face. Letting out a heavy sigh, she made a bribe instead,  
“Alright, well after you eat, you’ll have to wash it off and get into your uniform. But why don’t I give you a personal Michiko makeup tutorial this weekend. Ok?” this seemed to work on the child, she gave a nod and hugged her, and then eagerly went to greet her brother and uncles. But Michiko knew that bribing her daughter probably wasn’t the way to go about this…she was eventually going to run out of bribes, or worse, it could become a bad habit. But for today, it would be okay. Right?

“Mizuoru darling…do you mind putting my meal in the fridge? I’m feeling a little nauseated…”

\--

 

“Okay Nagisa, repeat back to me what we went over this morning.” Higemaru glanced down at his peppy daughter, now at the age of 5, who held onto his hand as she jumped over the cracks in the sidewalk, “Do you remember what we talked about?”

“Uh huh!” She stopped for a moment to recollect her thoughts, “I listen to my teacher, I let them know when I have to pee, and…uh, I stay in my classroom. Right?”

“That’s right, you are a smart cookie.” He said, placing her yellow kindergarten hat on her head, “But you forgot the most important thing…” Nagisa pondered for a moment, she looked like she was thinking really hard to come up with the answer as her face scrunched, but she ended up needing the reminder, “You know some of the words that you hear from Hajime and mommy? _Those bad words_? You never repeat them at school…or at home for that matter.”

Out of the two parent’s, Brooke clearly was the most relaxed when it came to exposing her daughter to new things; especially words. The way she saw it, Nagisa was bound to hear them sooner or later and might as well learn how to use them properly. However, Higemaru was completely against this. No 5 year old should being saying things like “shit” or “fuck” at all, and he was trying his best to catch and correct his daughter whenever she said those fowl words. But this was a challenge and quite unfair for Nagisa. After all, her parents weren’t together and when she hears two different opinions from two different homes…there’s no doubt she’d be a little confused on what to believe. 

“Why?” She asked innocently and Higemaru tried to come up with the easiest explanation. 

“Because, cute little kids like you shouldn’t be saying nasty words. You’ll scare the teachers…and your classmates.”

“How come?”

“…Just promise me you’ll be good Nagisa.”

“I will daddy. I pinkie promise?” The young child held out her other hand, her smallest finger extended towards him with a big toothy grin. When people look at this child, they always say how much she looks like Higemaru…but when he looks at her, he see’s Brooke. 

Smiling back at her, Hige locks his own pinkie finger onto hers, “Okay, keep hold of that promise.”

 

When they arrived at GOAT’s new Kindergarten/Elementary School, Nagisa suddenly sucked in her breath as she glanced at the large building for the first time. It was designed to be an establishment just for GOAT’s children since it was pretty much next-door to the main headquarters and convenient for the parents. But it was also taking applications for non-GOAT members as the classes, unlike many other schools, incorporated ghoul students in their classes. But that being said, the school was pretty much filled to it’s capacity and the small child felt overwhelmed as she looked at the children running past her and the teachers coming out to greet the new students for the year. Nagisa held on to Hige’s hand to hold him back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Daddy…I won’t know anyone in my class…” She said as she held onto her skirt, looking like she wanted to run, “I’ll be alone! Daddy don’t go!”

“It’s only the first day, you’ll make friends!” Hige tried to encourage his daughter but she made no intensions of moving closer to the school, “Remember, Hinami’s your teacher, you know Ms. Fueguchi will look out for you. Hey, let’s go find her together.”

“No fucking way! It’s scary!”

“Nagisa! Don’t say that-“ But luckily no one else heard her, and thankfully not Hinami who’d just came up to them with a few other little kids behind her. She must’ve spotted Nagisa in her uniform and knew she was part of her class.

“Hello Nagisa, ready for your first day of school.” The young woman crouched down to the child’s height, welcoming her to join in with the other kids. Hige nudged her closer into which she finally gave in by taking Hinami’s hand, “Don’t worry, we’re going to have a good time today!”

But Nagisa still looked back at Higemaru, doubtful, “you’ll come back for me, right?”

“I will!”

Hige stayed outside until Nagisa was no longer in his sight. He prayed the she’d listened to the rules he’s laid out for her…but being Brooke’s daughter…it was hard to say. 

 

Nagisa entered the kindergarten room with the other children, whom all looked just as scared and confused as she did, and all took a seat at the small coloured tables surrounding the room. Nagisa wanted to sit at the blue table, as it was her favourite colour, but was snubbed out by another kid who beat her to the last seat!  
“Hey!”   
But the other kid didn’t seem to care. Nagisa was tempted to push him from his seat, but was called over by another student. A girl waved her over from the green table where she pointed to an empty spot next to her. Not sure of where else to go, Nagisa took the offer and sat down next to the girl.

“Hi there, I’m Miki Ui! What’s your name?” 

“Hi, I’m Nagisa Higemaru…Want to be my buddy today, Ui?”

“Sure! You can just call me Miki, Ok?”

\--

As for the older kids, the nerves of the first day back were long behind them, 2nd grade was going to be a piece of cake! At least, that was what Masanori Ui was assuming. He considered himself to be one of the more popular kids in his class, since he was always causing a ruckus. But in reality, he was just an average, annoying, egotistical boy. But despite all his overwhelming confidence, he actually had a distaste for school and would much rather be outside exploring. 

“I’m a little nervous, Masanori…” Shouhei admitted sheepishly, a bit slouched as he walked next to his older cousin, “Is 1st grade hard?”

“Yep! But you’ll be fine,” the pink haired boy laughed, nudging his cousin in shoulder, “you’re smart so you’ll be quick at learning math and reading…but if the kids are giving you any trouble just say that I’m your cousin!”

“Thanks…Can we meet up at recess?”

“Of course! Hey, let’s bring a basketball from the gym to play with-“

“I see you have a sidekick…” Mizuki Tamaki walked over to her classmate, he groaned at the sound of her voice; the teacher’s pet. 

“Hey, Shou’s not my sidekick, he’s my cousin and best friend! You’re just jealous.” 

Mizuki rolled her eyes and put her nose to the air, “Please, Masanori, as if I’m jealous to not be your worshiper.”

“Worshiper?” Shouhei asked puzzled, but Mizuki walked next to the redhead so that he was in-between both her and Masanori.

“Don’t worry about it Shou. But I think the school may want to get bigger doors so Masanori’s head can fit through them.”

“Go away Mizuki!” the pink haired boy barked, touching his head to see if what she meant was literal. But the girl made no intention of leaving their side,  
“I can’t go away Masanori, we’re in the same class again.”

“Darn it!” 

\--

 

The first part of the morning rolled along as usual. This year, Masanori and Mizuki’s teacher was Miza Kusakari, who now worked only part time at the GOAT establishment and dedicated her time to teaching the next generation. Though as optimistic as she made it sound to those outside her classroom, she was a ruthless educator and attempted to push her students beyond the curriculum. There was no room for horseplay. Masanori suddenly realized that this year wasn’t going to be as easy to get by as he first thought, but these new boundaries wouldn’t stop him from seeing just how far he could cross the lines.  
From his desk, Masanori was glancing up at the clock and back down under his desk, as he was carefully preparing a paper airplane from a sheet of scrap paper. 

Mrs. Kusakari didn’t seem to notice Masanori, as she was too busy assisting another student with a math problem; but there was someone else watching him.

“Masanori,” Mizuki, who sat behind him, poked him with her pencil to catch his attention, “what are you doing? Are you done all your math problems already?” 

“Nah, I’m going to see if I can get this airplane to land in the trash can.” 

Mizuki objected the idea and insisted that he should finish his work before fooling around, that way Mrs. Kusakari might take it easy on him if he was caught. But Masanori chose not to listen to her warning and ended up paying for it. When he attempted to toss the airplane to the trashcan, it instead hit Principle Mado in the forehead, whom had just entered the classroom. This caused the entire class to burst out into laughter. 

Akira Mado was more in shock then she was angry, it was Miza who was irritated by the misbehaviour, picking up the paper craft and tossing it into the recycling. Everyone ducked their heads, “Who just threw that? No one leaves this room until-“ But the bell that gave the signal it was time for recess overpowered their teacher, sending the class out of the room like a whirlwind! But before he could rush out with Mizuki, Masanori lowered his head and apologized quickly to Akira. 

“You have Ui’s son in your class? Have fun.” Akira chortled,

“I know I’ve got my hands full…but don’t worry, I’ll shape him up. He’ll learn that he needs to put effort into his schooling just as much as his mischievous antics.”

“Well, if anyone one can do it, it’s you Miza. Hey, want to get a coffee in the staff room?”

\--

“Okay, you guys watching?” Masanori turned himself so that his back was facing the basketball hoop, ready to attempt a trick that he’d seen people do online before and wanted to try! Though while Mizuki could be less interested as she sat on the bench close by reading a book, Shouhei was on the edge of his seat in anticipation. 

“Do it Masanori!”

“Ok!” But when he tossed the ball back, it ended up bouncing off the rim of the net, hitting Masanori in the back of the head, and being caught by someone… “ow” But when he turned to see where his ball went, he spotted his younger sister who had it in her hands! “Miki? What are you doing here? The kindergarten class doesn’t have the same recess time!” Then snatching the ball back, he noticed that his sister wasn’t alone. She seemed to have brought a friend along; Masanori recognized her.  
“Nagisa?”

“That’s me!” the small pinkette said proudly as Miki hugged her,

“Nagisa is so clever, she snuck us out of our classroom without even being caught!” For a moment, Masanori looked at the younger child with curiosity. So she had a cheeky streak to her…this should make things interesting. Ignoring the policies, he invited the younger kids to join in on his game, even asking for Mizuki and Shouhei to play. “Let’s play boys verses girls! Even if there’s one more of you, me and Shou will still kick your butts!” He then passed the ball to Nagisa to give them a head start, which then passed it to Mizuki.

“Why are you holding the ball so weird Mizuki?” Shouhei asked, noticing that she was holding it only by the tips of her fingers. 

“I don’t want to chip my nail polish.”

“For crying out loud, just hold it like a normal person!” Masanori took the opportunity to snatch the ball from her and toss the ball into the net! Though celebrating his own victory, a few kids from another class approached them, laughing at his words. 

“Wow, that’s really funny coming a half human.” One of the boys mocked as he approached Mizuki, “What a thing to say…especially since she’s the only normal human in your little group.”

“Hey, what’s your problem?” Mizuki started to back away from the strange kids, urging Miki and Nagisa to stay behind her, “Who are you guys?”

Masanori didn’t know these kids personally, but he recognized them. They were 3rd graders and all humans. It seems like they were here to pick a fight, but what they didn’t know was that Masanori wasn’t one to be picked on! He’d give these idiots a taste of their own medicine. So standing up straight, he stood in front of his friends and demanded that the bullies should leave, 

“Pick on someone your own size, or better yet, someone with that same brain capacity!”

“What?!” But Masanori clearly wasn’t as tall as them, and his mouth seemed to get him into more trouble than he expected as one of the boys grabbed him by the collar, yanking him, “You better watch your mouth kid, we’re your superiors!”

And yet Masanori’s mouth was speaking in anger, not even taking the time to think his words through, “If you’re so ‘superior’ why are you picking a fight with me? If you hate me because I’m not totally human then why don’t you buzz off-“

“Enough Masanori!” Mizuki shouted, “I’m going to find a teacher!” 

“Tattle tale! Why would you tell on your own species?” 

“Asshole!” Nagisa shouted, running to the boy that was holding onto Masanori and bit his arm, hard enough to even draw blood! She might be human, but she sure could bite like a ghoul. The boy let him go and held his wound; this gave the 5 younger children the chance to escape! 

“Run everyone, let’s head inside!” But as they were sprinting, Miki tripped on a rift in the cement and fell! Crying for help, the others turned back to aid her but the bullies were catching up to them. If they were caught, there’s a good chance they’d hurt Masanori for speaking out against them – or even Miki since she was his sister! He had to fix this mess that he’d gotten them into. But, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw something glowing next to him – flames. “Shou…what are you-“

Shouhei had unleashed his Ukaku and his one Kakugan was staring directing towards the kids that had suddenly stopping running. They were in awe or they were afraid, it was hard to read their expressions as his cousin’s wings of flame were exposed for the first time! 

“Leave my friends alone!” 

But clearly, the redhead was too afraid to attack the other kids, his knees were shaking under him and his posture was poor as he tried to stand in front of Miki…But now Masanori was starting to realize that it wasn’t Shouhei they were afraid of…but something else that was behind them. 

Indeed, there stood 3 figures behind him, looking down at all the kids with grief. 

 

They _all_ should be afraid.


End file.
